Not a Democracy
by FantasmaBella
Summary: Takes place at the end of New Moon. Edward and Bella have returned to the Cullens to vote on her humanity. But Edward is feeling the strain of the past three days and his temper is fraying. What if things had gone off a little differently? Carlisle is forced to step in and remind Edward of his place. Warning: Will contain spanking of a teenage vampire.
1. Chapter 1

It had been an exhausting few days. Not that he could physically tire of course, but as far as emotional exertion goes, he was certain that he was experiencing the after effects now. So, it was with a small sigh of frustration that he opened the glass door that fronted the Cullen house. Whatever Bella was hoping to achieve by this little charade, he really wished it could have waited. All he wanted was to be lying beside her, listening to her breathing and reveling in the soft steady thrum of her heartbeat. After all, he had spent the last 72 hours thinking that she was dead. At this thought, his own cold heart seemed to constrict, and he squeezed her hand minutely, reassuring himself that his love was indeed, safe and within his protection.

Bella turned her eyes to him, and for a moment he was content to lose himself in their chocolate depths, before he tore himself away and summoned the rest of the household, speaking each name in turn with a soft resignation. Like he had told Bella, he was humoring her. Whatever his family had to say, it would have little bearing on the future. The idea of Bella becoming like him, losing all that softness, all that was good and pure, repelled him. He could not, would not, steal that from her, even after facing, albeit temporarily, the grim existence that was what awaited him without her.

Within fractions of a second the family presented itself, and Edward's eyes flickered briefly to those of his creator, his mentor. He knew that his father was waiting for a moment to have his own 'conference' with him, a prospect that he had deftly avoided since the dramatic return from Europe. He didnt know how he would answer the questions that would surely be asked of him, and he would be lucky if that was all. He had a feeling that he may have pushed even the saintly Carlisle to his limits. But now, the blonde vampire merely greeted Bella, giving his errant son a cursory nod.

**"Welcome back Bella. What can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not a purely social visit?"**

Bella nodded, and glanced up to Edward as she spoke** " I'd like to talk to everyone at once, if thats okay. About something important"** The bronze haired vampire to her left rolled his eyes, imperceptibly to human eyes, but the gesture was not missed by his coven leader, who fixed his son with a questioning gaze.  
Edward shrugged it off, stepping in front of Carlisle and leading the way into the rarely used dining room and pulling out a chair for Bella. As he went to sit next to his love, he found his path blocked by his creator. Carlisle let Edward into his head for a moment

_Don't think i don't realise you have been avoiding me Edward_ came his fathers thoughts, clear as day_. I expect you to return home after dropping Bella back later, and then we will talk._

There was a slight edge of hurt in the command that made Edward's heart clench. He should have spared his father more time since he got back, but the desire to stay close to Bella, and to put off the inevitable scolding he was going to receive had made him keep his distance. Edward nodded slightly to acknowledge Carlisle, and then took his seat on Bella's left. He held her hand under the table as the rest of the family filed in, each with their own take on the situation. He scowled at Alice, who was grinning from ear to ear, already knowing their purpose. But Bella had the floor, and he could do little but listen as she began. Once she had explained her reasoning, even if it was incorrect and full of assumptions as he thought, Bella finished with her trump card.

**"...taking that into account then,that i wont put any of you in danger either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me being a vampire"**

Carlisle had been about to speak, but Edward interrupted, earning himself sharp looks from both Bella and his Father. He continued regardless.

**" I have something to add before we vote"** he spoke clearly, ignoring the pointed sigh from his right.** " About the danger Bella is referring to. I dont think we need to be over anxious"**

He went on to explain his theory about Bella's powers to block some of the gifts of the vampire world, his conviction growing at the support from his brothers. It was a fail safe plan. Of course, the girls and Esme were not so keen, but they were just being protective over their mates. Only Carlisle had remained silent thus far, and Edward swiveled his eyes to meet the steady gaze of the patriarch.

**"Well? Surely you can see how we can exploit their weaknesses Carlisle?"** Edward pressed, eager to hear the thoughts that were being so carefully blocked from him. The answer he got was not what he had hoped for, his fathers tone clipped and...furious

**" I find it surprising how ready you are to make yourself and the rest of this family vulnerable AGAIN Edward. Even so soon after both Bella and Alice risked their lives to protect yours"**

Edward swore he could feel himself flush. It was a very public admonishment, and it smarted. He opened his mouth to reply, but was silenced by a raised hand from Carlise.

**"What Edward has proposed is not an alternative"** he stated dismissively** " So Bella, please continue"**

Bella could feel the slight tightening of Edwards hand upon hers, but she steeled herself and began with her love, before moving around the table collecting votes. Beside her, Edward grew tenser with each positive vote. Going by majority rule, it was decided before she reached Carlisle, but everyone knew how much his vote really meant. He was looking carefully at his son.

**"Edward"** he began

The bronze haired vampires head snapped up and a low growl erupted from his chest.** "No!"**

**"You've chosen not to live without her, so it leaves me no choice"**

Edward's chair clattered to the floor as he dropped Bella's hand and leapt to his feet, his face a picture of beautiful fury.

**" No I said! Who are any of you to have any part in this anyway"** he snarled, turning to Bella he fixed her with a dangerous glare **" Its not happening Bella, so you may as well come to terms with it."**

Bella recoiled at his tone, her own eyes glazing with unshed tears. It was too much, another rejection from him so soon after his return. The eyes of his own family were upon Edward, shocked and angered at his apparent disregard for her feelings. Esme spoke, disapproval lacing her tone

**"Edward! I really think.."**

"Fuck what you think!" her son interrupted pushing away from the table.** "Like I said, its not really any of your business is it? he continued, his voice escalating. " Its between me and Bella, and she knows whats NOT going to happen"**

_Watch your mouth Edward_ Carlisle silently warned._ You're losing control of yourself._

Edward could feel his anger mounting, a culmination of the stresses of the last 72 hours, he felt like a tightly coiled spring, at some point the pressure would be too much and it would have to snap. Jasper obviously felt this too, and had gotten up from the table, positioning himself between Edward and Bella. The irony of it made Edward laugh bitterly, a contrast to Bella's quiet sobs.

**"What? You're protecting her now? From me?"**

Rosalie piped up, a disgusted look painting her exquisite features " Someone needs to, you're behaving like a complete ass. Its so good to have you back Edward.." Her voice was laced with sarcasm and it pushed her brother over the edge. With a furious snarl he leapt across the table at the blonde, hands reaching to grab her, hit her, anything...

Amongst the rest of the room, several things happened at once. Alice, seeing how this might play out, had scooped Bella up and carried her to the other side of the room. Rosalie had gotten to her feet, and Emmet was at her side, furiously protecting his mate. Esme was comforting Bella, her own distress marked by the expression on her face, all whilst Jasper tried fruitlessly to project calming emotions around the room. Carlisle had had it. Moving deftly around the table, he yanked Edward backwards by his collar, away from Rosalie, and spun him round to face him. Without really thinking or even looking to see who it was, Edward shoved him roughly away, still gripped by his rage at his sister, the situation, everything. But it didnt take much more than the sight of his creator flying backwards and crashing into the far wall to make him come to his senses.

Everyone had gone silent, shocked at Edward's actions, and Jasper was holding his head in his hands, unable to cope with the heightened emotional states of his family. As Carlisle picked himself up, Edward raised his hands in supplication, his eyes wide

**"...It was an accident"** he gabbered,looking around for support. He found none, not even from Bella, who's tear stained face was as horrified as everyone else's. Carlisle adjusted his shirt sleeves, and turned to inspect the damage to the wall behind him, which was cracked. He took a deep breath before speaking.

**" Alice, if you would be so kind as to take Bella home..."** he began, brushing plaster dust from his trousers

Edward panicked. He had only just got his Bella back, he couldnt be parted from her again so soon** " But..."**

Carlisle silenced him with a glare, and Edward felt his stomach curl with cold dread. He had never seen his father so angry.

**"Its not safe for her to be here when you cant keep control of yourself. Edward, to your room, now. Emmet, Jasper, sort out this mess please"**

It was with quiet immediacy that the family dissipated and began to do as was asked of them. Only Edward faltered, taking a step towards Bella, hating the reproach in her eyes, the scent of her still falling tears. He didn't know what to say. This had all gone so horribly wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**  
**Warning: This story will contain themes of parental discipline and also corporal punishment. Don't like, don't read.**

Edward was still frozen in the middle of the dining room, watching Alice shepherd Bella away, away from him. He was walking a fine line, he knew it, but he couldn't stop himself from protesting.

At the sound of his voice, Bella's tears began anew, and he felt his chest tighten, as if it were trying to draw in unneeded air. It physically hurt him to see her in such distress. He wanted to go to her, but as he began to move, a stone hand took a hold of his shoulder and he turned to gaze into the obsidian eyes of his father. Carlisle's voice was unnervingly quiet as he spoke again to his wayward son.

**" I told you to go to your room Edward"** He followed it up with a silent directive. _Now move or I will have your brothers take you._

Edward scowled, before spinning out of Carlisle's grip and stomping loudly up the stairs. He slammed his door and heard the frame splinter before falling inelegantly onto his chaise and exhaling a breath he didn't know he had been holding. What a fuck up. Had he even an inkling of how things would develop he would have refused to bring Bella back here. Now she was gone, likely furious with him, Carlisle would probably ask him to leave, and they were still stuck on the same issue. He growled in frustration. Why could she not see he was trying to protect her? It was too much. In three short days he had gone from emotional numbness, to grief, to joy, and now all he seemed to be left with were these feeling of impotence and rage. All these months apart and still it seemed that they would not be able to find away for Bella to fit into his world.

He was so wrapped up in his own muddle of thoughts that Edward didn't hear Carlisle's approach until the older vampire pushed open the door to his bedroom, frowning as the hinges clunked and the door wobbled in his hand. Carlisle sighed and shook his head, abandoning any attempt at closing the ruined door behind him. He stopped just inside Edward's room and looked at his son speculatively, keeping his face an impassive mask. Sitting up from his sprawl, Edward dipped into his mind, trying to get a read on his father's emotional state, but found this shuttered as well. It seemed that his creator was determined to keep him in the dark for the time being, and Edward sighed audibly and waited for Carlisle to begin lecturing, this was usually how these conversations began.

**" Maybe a little attitude check Edward"** Carlisle suggested, folding his arms across his chest.** "You're in enough hot water as it is, I really don't think you want to be antagonising me now..."**

He let his words sink in for a moment, and Edward realised in the silence that he couldn't hear the minds of his family. Great, just great. Carlisle had obviously sent them away, which meant that he was planning on doing more than just talking. Edward wasn't sure why this came as a surprise, he had, after all, laid his hands on his creator. And made Bella cry. Oh yes, and the suicide mission to Italy. That would probably come up in conversation too. He could feel Carlisle's gaze upon him, but chose to keep his own eyes lowered and focused on the leather of his black couch. Less judgmental you see. But of course, his father had other plans, and Edward felt Carlisle's fingers under his chin, none too gently forcing Edward to meet his burning gaze.

**"You'll look at me whilst I talk to you son, I deserve that courtesy at least do I not?"** Carlisle's eyes searched those of his firstborn, noting the shadows beneath, the black colour that indicated he had not fed nearly recently enough. It might go some way to explain his aggressiveness. Now it was Carlisle's turn to sigh.  
**" You need to hunt. But first, I think some kind of explanation is in order. I know you've been through a lot the last few days, but Edward...cursing at your Mother, speaking to Bella like that, attacking your sister, let alone me! And all after running off to Italy to get yourself killed!"** Carlisle shook his head **"I'm not sure whats going on with you, but if I didnt know better I'd think you were having some kind of breakdown!"**

It hurt to hear the list of charges against him. He'd forgotten cussing at Esme, and the mention of Bella sent a knife twisting in his heart. What must she be thinking of him right now? Carlisle should never have made her leave, not until he'd had chance to speak to her. He stood up abruptly and started rummaging through his pockets. If he could find his cell, she may have text or tried to call. Or if not, he could call her. He needed to hear her voice. He was distracted enough to have forgotten the presence of his coven leader, until Carlisle cleared his throat,and waved a small silver device at him. "Looking for this?" Edward made a move to take his phone but his father pocketed it, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline.  
"I don't think so, son." This infuriated Edward.** " I need to speak to Bella, Carlisle. I've only just got her back, and I need to know that we're okay...that she is okay"**  
Carlisle's golden eyes bored into Edward's, but still he shook his head **" I think, in the circumstances.."**  
Edward growled, and made a move to snatch his phone, once again feeling his temper getting the better of him, until he was yelling in the face of his creator.  
**" I thought she was dead, Carlisle! You have no idea.."**  
The back of his father's hand connected with his face so fast, that were it not for the explosion of sound and the burn blooming across his cheek, Edward would have doubted it happened it all. Instead, his head whipped to the side, and he raised his eyes, wide with shock, back to the face of his creator and mentor.  
Carlisle looked shocked too, gazing at his hand as if it didn't belong to him. Afer a beat or two of deathly silence, the blonde vampire spoke,rubbing a hand over his face in a weary gesture

**"Im sorry Edward, I shouldn't have done that. But how can you stand there are and complain that I have no idea what you've been through? We thought YOU were dead! Me, your mother, your brothers and sister. You left us all to the same fate. You haven't got a clue have you?"**

Carlisle turned away from him then, and Edward was left cradling his cheek, at a loss for words. His father had never struck him out of anger before, in punishment yes, but never out of the blue as such an instinctual thing. It had left the teenage vampire a little shaken, and he thought on his father's words. Gah, it seemed he was hurting people right, left and centre. In truth, he hadn't thought upon much other than his own misery since receiving that fateful phonecall, and perhaps now for the first time was really seeing the consequences of his actions.

There was an awkward pause before Carlisle pulled himself back together and turned again to his errant child. He took a deep breath, uneccessary as it was, and motioned for Edward to sit back down. Pulling the chair for Edward's desk, he too sat down and fixed his son with a steady gaze.

**"I think perhaps this is partly my fault"** he said quietly. **" I have always tried to be fair with you kids, to treat you as the adults you almost are, and let you make your own decisions. But you, Edward, have made me doubt myself. YOUR decisions over the last few months have put this family, Bella and yourself at risk. I should have stepped in when you decided to leave Bella, Lord knows your mother wanted me to..."**  
Carlisle paused and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, a trait he had passed on to his son. He was obviously thinking carefully on his next words, and it was a few moments before he straightened up, his tone becoming more resolute. **" So, its not happening anymore. Until you can prove to me and this family that you can think rationally and not be so governed by every emotion that flits through your mind, then you are on restricted priveleges. And I think I need to give you a little reminder about who you are Edward. You are first and foremost my son, MY responsibility, and clearly, you are losing your grip on what that means. That will end today"**


	3. Chapter 3

Edward had taken a seat on the couch as his father has indicated. He was still reeling from the shock of the unexpected slap, although any pain was rapidly dissipating. It was just so unlike Carlisle. Even on the few times that the coven leader had felt forced to mete out discipline, it had always been so controlled and carefully considered. Although, Edward supposed, he hadn't tried to kill himself before. Now and then, he was getting little glimpses of his father's carefully disguised thoughts. More of a sense of frustration than anything concrete, and then guilt...? Oh right. So, basically, he thought he should have tanned Edward's behind sooner? Lovely.

Edward was feeling small tendrils of apprehension begin to wind their way around his insides. His father had clearly reached the end of his tether and was now committed to taking some kind of parental stance. Carlisle wasn't lying when he said he gave them the freedom of adults, bar the required attendance of school and discouragement from drawing unwanted attention, the Cullen children basically had free reign. So the idea of longterm imposed 'restricted privileges' was enough to send Edward's unbeating heart plummeting into his shoes. About to inquire as to what these restrictions would be, he realised that Carlisle hadn't finished.

**"... And I think i need to give you a little reminder about who you are Edward. You are first and foremost my son. MY responsibility, and , clearly, you are losing your grip on what that means. That will end today"**

Edward felt nauseous. Whatever that reminder would entail he was certain he wouldn't find pleasant. And the bitter taste of Carlisle's disappointment. That stung more than any physical punishment would. He let his eyes drop, unable to cope with the intensity of his father's gaze. He hadn't been asked any questions, and, beginning to comprehend the extent of his family's displeasure, for once he kept quiet and let Carlisle continue.

_Look at me Edward, I wont tell you again_. Edward reluctantly obeyed, and his father spoke aloud again.

**"No cell, no driving, no hunting unaccompanied, you are to come straight home from school with the others. Bella may visit you here but you are not to go to her home, and when she is here you will be chaperoned by another member of the family. That is how we start out."**

Edward couldn't believe his ears. This was harsher than any other punishment he could remember, ever. He couldn't stop himself from protesting.

**" But..."**

**"No buts. Until I know I can trust you not to do anything so STUPID and RECKLESS again, then these restrictions stay in place."**

Carlisle's voice was firm, and he let Edward into his thoughts long enough for him to garner that there was little hope of him changing his mind. Edward huffed, all at once feeling furious and hopeless. How would he see Bella? And chaperoned time with her? He could feel the unwelcome burn of venom tears behind his eyes. He had really screwed up. His parents really didn't seem to have any faith in his ability to act rationally, and his actions earlier in the day had done little but compound their feelings. He should have known that life wouldn't simply continue as if the whole Italy debacle had never happened.  
His father gave him a moment to absorb this new information before his voice took a more serious tone.

**" Your behavior today was appalling Edward, but worse than that, it wasn't surprising. Your choices, ever since we left Forks, have been selfish and self destructive. As your father and the leader of this coven, I must ensure you don't continue down this as it seems the softly softly approach isn't helping you, then we will have to try something else"**

At this point, Carlisle allowed his son access to his mind, and Edward was assaulted by a myriad of images and thoughts. He felt his stomach clench with nerves as he saw what Carlisle was thinking about. Him, bent over his desk, whilst his father gave him a very physical deterrent for any future misdeeds. He swallowed audibly. The last time Carlisle had spanked him was upon his return from his rebellious years away. He remembered distinctly vowing never to get in the same situation ever again. And yet here he was. He could sense as well his father's disappointment at having to go through the experience. It had been painful for him too, to see and be the cause of his son's pain.

Edward shook his head.** " N..no Carlisle"** he stuttered "** You don't need to.. I'll follow the restrictions, I'll watch my mouth...p..please."** He hated hearing himself snivelling like a child, but the thought of having to take a spanking was mortifying beyond anything else. He was 109 years old for God's sake. And with all the benefit of his perfect vampire recall, he remembered the pain! He hadn't sat comfortably for a week after the last and only time, even with his accelerated healing. He couldn't go through it again.

His father was not easily swayed however.** " Do you honestly believe I am being unjust here Edward? Maybe I should remind you AGAIN of what has led to this point."** Carlisle's patience was wearing thin, and he stood up, pacing the small floorspace of the bedroom and punctuating each point with a stab of his finger in Edward's direction

**" You left that poor girl, against all of our advice, and lied to her to make it easier for yourself. You shut your family tried to get yourself killed, and in doing so, endangered the lives of Bella and Alice and exposed us all to the Volturi. You then come here today and behave like an infant when you don't get your own way, showing total disregard for Bella's wants, verbally attacking her, and then, why not, going one step further and physically attacking your sister and me."** Carlisle stopped dead in front on his son, and raised his brows, inviting any further protest.

He found none. Edward had dropped his head into his hands, tugging at his hair. He hated being the source of his father's anger, and felt defeated by the conviction in his creator's voice. He wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of this one. He had only two options remaining to him; take his punishment, or run. Neither was appealing, and he scrubbed a hand over his face before chancing a look up at his father. Carlisle beckoned him with a curled index finger.

**"Lets just get this done Edward"** he sighed, moving over towards the traitorous desk that Edward had seen in his thoughts, and rolling up his shirt sleeves. To give him greater range of movement whilst he pummels my ass, Edward thought bitterly as he stood. His feet were leaden, his mouth inexplicably dry and he could feel the build up of tension, similar to adrenalin, tightening his muscles. The window to his left was calling him, the forest beyond offering a seemingly safe haven, but Edward's logical side knew better. Carlisle would catch up with him, and then he would be seriously pissed, as if he wasn't already. So, Edward forced his feet to carry him over to the far side of the room, where he paused uncertainly in front of Carlisle.

**" Drop your trousers and bend over the desk please son"** his father instructed. The younger vampire obeyed, fumbling with the button on his jeans for an excruciatingly long time, and then hesitating again, until Carlisle sighed in frustration and guided him forwards with a cool hand on the back of his neck, until Edward was leaning heavily on the desk, his face pressed against the smooth wooden surface. He could see a paper that he needed to finish before the semester started, and, annoyingly, a CD left out of its case. Cataloging these minor details worked efficiently as a method of distraction until he felt his father's hand rest on his back.  
**" We'll begin now Edward"**. And Edward braced himself for the first blow to fall.


	4. Chapter 4

**DIsclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains spanking of a teenage vampire. Dont like, dont read.**

The first slap landed with unmerciful force right in the centre of his cotton clad backside, a thunderclap followed by a stinging burn. Edward gasped, and turned his head to look at his father incredulously. Carlisle met his gaze with unsympathetic eyes, and Edward saw him raise his hand before he quickly turned his head, his fingers gripping the sides of the wooden desk in anticipation of more pain. He was not kept waiting long, as his father set a steady pace, raining fierce slaps down upon his vulnerable posterior. . A fire was being ignited on his behind, and he couldn't stand it. Placing his hands flat on the cool surface of the desk over which he was bent, Edward tried to push himself upright

**"NO, Carlisle!."** His words were grunted out as he fought against the downward pressure of his creator's hand between his shoulder blades. The slaps had not ceased, in fact, irritated by his struggling, Carlisle spanked harder

**"Stay still Edward"** Carlisle ordered **" You're only making this worse for yourself"**

But his son was surrendering to the fight or flight insticts that had niggled at him earlier. In the face of his punishment, he found himself cowardly,and desperate to escape the authority wielded over him by his father. He twisted and kicked out, until eventually, the desk surrendered , even if Carlisle didn't. Losing his balance for a second, Edward was toppling forward into the rubble that was his desk when a furious Carlisle caught hold of the back of his collar and hauled him back onto his feet. Edward breathed a sigh of relief, for the incessant spanks had stopped, at least for a moment. Unfortunately for him, it was only a moment until, with a growl of frustration, his father had dragged him backwards over to the bed and then draped him unceremoniously over his knee, scissoring his legs so he was effectively trapped.

**" You just keep pushing today"** Carlisle growled, as without any hesitation he began tugging at the waistband of Edward's additional level of humilation sparked more frantic struggling and pleading from the teen.

**"Please, please no"** he said, even as his underwear was pushed down his thighs. He was still voicing his disquiet when Carlisle resumed his spanking, this time hard enough to force Edward to expel the air from his lungs with a whoosh.** "Aaah!"**

If Edward had thought it bad before, this was a whole new world of pain. His father was not holding back, imprinting the severity of Edward's transgressions upon his psyche with resounding blows to his naked behind. A rhythm had emerged, each beat bringing a new wave of fire, and Edward fisted his hands in the bed covers in a fruitless attempt to transfer some of the pain from his blazing posterior. Every super sensitive nerve was screaming at him in outrage at the ruthless assault being bestowed upon him and it was all Edward could do not to scream.

**"Christ!"** he exclaimed, earning an extra hard slap from his father for his choice of language, before Carlisle finallt started lecturing.

**"Why are you receiving this spanking Edward?"** he asked, barely breaking his rhythm.

Edward gasped and tried to focus enough through the distraction of his pain to formulate an answer.

**"Uh,... Italy"** came his fragmented response. It obviously wasn't satisfactory, as Carlisle remained silent, whilst upping the intensity of the steady blows he was imparting. Edward gulped, wracking his brain for a more eloquent response, even trying to search his creators mind for the desired answer, but it was to no avail. He was on his own, and the longer he remained silent, the more he would incur his father's wrath. What to say to make it stop, had to make it stop.**.."Bad choices."** he finally settled on, recalling Carlisle's earlier words. This seemed more what was being looked for, as the slaps slowed somewhat and Carlisle resumed talking.

**"Right Edward, bad choices?"** he said, his inflection an invitation for his son to elaborate.

Edward screwed his eyes shut, vision blurred by a sheen of venom as he attempted to pinpoint the events that had led him to this living hell. It hurt almost as much to remember as it did to experience the punishment for the crime.

**"Leaving Bella"** he choked out in between blows. "...leaving Bella, and then you when I went to Italy"

An excruciatingly sharp slap landed on his left buttock as he said the words, and he felt rather than saw his father's distress.

**"Yes Edward. Both bad decisions with unfortunate consequences for everyone around you. Sometimes, most of time actually YOU DONT KNOW BEST! And as for the little show you put on today..."** Carlisle raised his right knee, tilting Edward forward and presenting the sensitive undercurve of his buttocks for punishment. Edward struggled futilely, shaking his head back and forth.

**"No..no please...DAD!"** The pleading turned into a strangled scream as Carlisle meted out ten intense slaps to his sit spots. It was enough to push Edward over the edge and he finally broke down into tearless sobs, surrendering to the pain, to the punishment and to the will of his coven leader. He could read the remorse in Carlisle's thoughts, but it did little to soothe the very physical reminder of his father's displeasure at his actions, and Edward felt the disappointment just as keenly. He was exhausted, and for the first time since finding Bella alive he let go of any pretense at control, all the stress and tension coming out in sobs of anguish that shook his entire frame.

At some point, his father must have moved him, because when Edward came back to his senses he was lying face down on his bed, Carlisle rubbing soothing circles on his upper back, a stark contrast to the throbbing burn he could feel lower down his frame. He lifted his head wearily, turning dark eyes to his father.

**"Alright son"** Carlisle said softly. **" Its all over now".**

Edward couldn't stand the compassion in his eyes. He didn't deserve it.

**" I'm so sorry Carlisle"** he whispered, his voice cracking a little.

His father nodded, tipping Edward's chin up gently. **" I know you are. You will have a few more apologies to make though Edward. You're behaviour has caused a lot of hurt, but I know you have the strength to put things right again. You have amazing self discipline when you put your mind to it. And, when you don't.."** he ruffled Edward's hair affectionately **" you have me to remind you..."**

In spite of the small smile as he spoke, Carlisle's eyes turned serious again quickly, and he rested his hand on Edward's shoulder. **"Don't ever do that to me again son. The thought of...losing you. It is more than I or this family could bear"**  
Carlisle stood abruptly, and Edward missed the contact, but didn't dare move in case he reignited any more pain. Instead he let out a muffled groan and folded his arms under his head. He was going to be very sore for a while. His father looked at him and nodded, as if reading his mind, before turning and picking up Edward's discarded jeans, removing the keys to the Volvo and the Aston Martin before placing the garment on the foot of the bed.

**" So...no keys, phone and Edward, NO LEAVING THE HOUSE unaccompanied. I'll take you for a hunt later, and then if you wish, you can use the house phone to call Bella. Perhaps you should consider what it is you'll say, she was very distressed earlier.**"

And with that, Carlisle walked towards the hallway, pausing only to lift Edward's damaged door off its hinges. _Usually I would be annoyed at wanton destruction_ he thought at his son._ But in this case you've made my job easier._ He disappeared from sight, leaving Edward to his thoughts.

Edward groaned. The lack of privileges, and door, was going to be hard. And so, he thought bitterly, was sitting. He wasn't much looking forward to the conversation with Bella either. Hearing her voice would of course be the best remedy for his maudlin mood, but he could guess that what she had to say would not necessarily have the same effect. The impasse that they had come to was not going to disappear, and whatever happened they didn't seem to be able to just enjoy being together. Alice's thoughts had revealed another complication too, Bella's new friendship with the wolves. He growled just thinking about it, regretting it as the vibrations reminded him of his more pressing pains. Oh how he wished he could sleep, and wake up and find that he didn't hurt anymore. Physically or otherwise.

**A/N:** _This is my first fic, and this chapter was really really hard to write, so I hope it doesn't suck. I was only planning on this story being a couple of chapters, but I think its created its own opportunities for expansion. Let me know if you'd be interested in reading more. Thanks, JJ._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

The sun had made its way across the sky, and day was fading slowly into dusk before Edward could bring himself to move. His family had returned some hours earlier, and from Esme's thoughts she was about to come and seek him out, her inner dialogue expressing concern that he still hadn't hunted. Apparently his moping time was limited, alongside all of his other privileges. With a groan, Edward awkwardly got to his feet, trying to avoid putting his weight on his behind, which nevertheless screamed its protest at his attempts. He rejected his jeans in favour of softer sweats, and then cocked his head to the side.

**"You can come in Alice, its not like there's a door to stop you"** he sighed, his eyebrows quirking as his sister came in, rolling her eyes. She took a seat on his bed,uncharacteristically quiet for her usually ebullient self. Edward waited for her to speak, she was reciting the names of Hermes handbags in her mind, so obviously wanted to address him verbally with whatever was bothering her. Turning away from her intense gaze, Edward tugged his crumpled shirt over his head and discarded it in his laundry hamper, choosing instead a grey long sleeved t-shirt and pulling it on. He hissed slightly at the series of movements, pushing his pixie-like sister to break her silence.

**"Dad was pretty hard on you then?"** she said, picking at invisible lint on his quilt. Edward snorted.  
**"Its not like you didn't see it all Alice, why pretend otherwise? In fact, why not go one step further and warn me next time?"** He turned to face her again, and was surprised to see her shooting him a fierce look. She stood up.

**"Because, Edward. Sometimes I think you deserve exactly whats coming to you."** Alice said with a frown. Her thoughts were visible to him now, and he could see that she was unhappy with him, unusual as she was often one of his strongest advocates, their gifts giving them a closeness he didn't share with his other siblings. But now he could see that she meant what she said, and then her thoughts focused into what he guessed must be the reason she had sought him out. Bella.

Alice nodded. She recounted for him in her mind just how upset his love had been when Alice had escorted her home earlier that day. Bella's tears had stopped, but her beautiful face was marred by an expression that looked so broken that it made Edward's throat constrict. He looked at his sister, her own face pinched with sadness, and felt another little piece of him break too.

**"She thinks you wont change her because you'll get bored of her Edward. Afraid that you'll be stuck with her then. She kept talking about you being distracted?"** Alice paused, scrutinizing her brother's face, frowning slightly when his eyes slid away from hers. She folder her arms and glared at him . **" What was she talking about Edward? What EXACTLY did you say to her when you left her in the forest?".**

Her little foot was tapping on the carpet, and Edward looked up at her sharply.** "Don't make me repeat it"** he said quietly** " You must have seen it all anyway"**. It wasn't like he didn't remember, word for cursed word, what he had told his precious Bella that day. It was more the crushing guilt that devoured him when he thought of it. Not a happy memory, that was for sure. But Alice was shaking her head.

**" I didn't look. Not once I knew the direction the conversation was heading... it was too close"**

Edward sucked in an unnecessary breath at this piece of information. Part of him so grateful to his sweet sister for her discretion, the other parts a little concerned at the question he could see her formulating, that now he would have to answer. He shifted his weight uneasily.

**" So, what did you say?"**

Alice was squinting at him one moment, and then her eyes took on a vacant stare and he knew he was in trouble. Once he had made the decision to tell Alice, she had of course had a vision of the conversation before it played out. A frustrating side effect of having a precog in the family. Edward thrust his hands into his pockets and waited it out, knowing that any second now, his sister would know the real, despicable depths of his personality. To have lied like that to Bella, to have planted the seed that he would find his comforts elsewhere, it corroded his psyche like acid. And now his secret was out.

**" You asshole!"** bit out Alice, as she returned to the present.** " How could you let her think that we didn't want her...for all that time!"** She gave him a little shove. " I am so glad I didn't save you from yourself earlier!"

The escalating volume of their, albeit rather one sided conversation, drew the attention of Carlisle, who appeared in the door..frame and looked between the two of them.

**"Problem?"** he inquired softly, whilst shooting his son a searching look._ Edward...I sincerely hope you are not instigating more trouble already._ he thought in exasperation. Edward shook his head, his forehead creasing in the worry of giving Carlisle cause to remonstrate with him again, before he returned his focus to Alice who was scowling at him openly.** "Look Alice, I'm sorry ok?" he sighed " If i could take it back, I would, but I can't and you can't make me feel worse than I already do.."**

His sister rolled her eyes to heaven, and then, glancing at their father, turned and walked out of the room.  
**"Enough with the self pity already"** she called back to him, adding to Carlisle as she passed.** "He's all yours!"**

Edward ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, his face contorted in a frown as he successfully managed to alienate another member of his family. Boy was he on a roll today. Carlisle looked at him thoughtfully for a minute, before sucking in his cheeks and tipping his head towards the window on the far side of the room.

**"How about that hunt now son?"**

The run was both agony and euphoria. Agony as his abused rear screamed its protest at the jostling and rubbing, euphoria as he let the forest whipping by absorb some of his tension, pounding his frustration into the moss covered ground with each fleeting stride. He didn't run at full speed, knowing that Carlisle wouldn't quite manage to keep up, and for now at least, being keen on appeasing his coven leader. But even restrained as he was, and with the constant presence of his father on his periphery, he felt some of the stress blown away. A couple of deer later, and Edward was just finishing draining a mountain lion, already feeling the benefits of the feed. He had left it too long. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and looked up into the thoughtful eyes of his creator.

**"Its not like you to play with your food"** Carlisle said, gesturing to the corpse of the big cat. Edward paused and shrugged, perhaps he had drawn out the kill a little, but he had to vent his pent up aggression somehow.  
**"Stressful day"** he offered, getting to his feet. He was still in a lot of discomfort from his earlier interaction with his father, and now watched him warily. Carlisle nodded, and then turned back in the direction of home. Walk with me a while Edward he thought as he proceeded at human pace through the clearing.

Cautiously, his son fell into step beside him, newly golden eyes flickering between the forest floor and the contemplative expression on his father's face. Carlisle's thoughts took focus and Edward realised that his creator was hoping that he would open up a little, talk out some of the frustrations that were causing him to act out like he had earlier, in the hope that they could avoid him having to step in again. Internally, Edward sighed. Talking didn't seem to be doing much other that getting him into trouble at the moment. But, Carlisle's intentions were good and Edward really didn't want his father to become frustrated with his reluctance, so he pushed his hands into his pockets and began to speak.

**" I don't know what to do Carlisle...with Bella...I mean, I couldn't function without her. She didn't seem to fare brilliantly without me either. And now we have eachother again and I just thought..**." he paused, searching for the right way to describe the sense of confusion and disappointment that was teinting his reunion with Bella** " I suppose I just thought things would be easier?"**

Carlisle looked at him in surprise, one side of his mouth quirking up in a smile as he replied in his thoughts.  
_Its only been three days Edward, I'm sure that if you are patient you and Bella will be more comfortable around each other again?_

Edward shook his head.** " Thats exactly it though. Its only been THREE DAYS, and we're already arguing again. You'd think we'd at least be able to just enjoy being together, but I don't know how to get her to stop obsessing over the fact she's not going to be one of us. Its not like I haven't tried to explain to her that..."**  
He trailed off, hearing the change in the tenure of his father's thoughts and looked up to see Carlisle frowning slightly.

**"You mustn't be so dismissive of Bella's wishes"** Carlisle told him, looking at him appraisingly..**" That is after all what started this whole chain of events if you remember? You thinking that you knew what was best for Bella, and ignoring what she had to say on the matter?"**

Edward looked confused, as if he had never looked at it that way before. He felt the need to defend himself suddenly. **" But Carlisle, you can't deny that after what happened at Bella's birthday party, something had to change. And I can't undo it now. I just dont want our time together to be dominated by this arguement about her change."**

Carlisle stopped.** " Well it won't be an issue after today though will it?"** he said carefully, looking at Edward like he was a bomb liable to go off at any given moment. Edward looked puzzled, trying to catch up on the conversation through his father's thoughts, which had gone strangely blank.

**"Why do you think that?"** he asked **"You think she wont want me anymore, wont want to be changed?"**

Edward panicked. Had Carlisle spoken to Bella already? Had he really blown it this time? He ran an anxious hand through his hair, looking at his creator with wide eyes. Carlisle shook his head, and raised his eyebrows at his son, speaking very slowly.

**"No Edward. Because the family voted yes to Bella's change. Its been agreed. So you wont need to argue about it any more."**

Edward stopped in his tracks at that. His face clouded and he stepped back, hands clenching into fists at his side. Careful son, he heard his father think in warning, before he launched into a full on tantrum and got himself in a situation he wouldn't be able to reverse.

**" You can't do this to me Carlisle"** Edward hissed.** " Don't pretend you cant override the outcome of the vote. We all know this isn't a democracy."** His voice was harsh, the thought of Bella losing her humanity, the one thing that he had been fighting so hard to preserve, was almost too much to bear. And because his family said so. It made the venom in his veins boil, and he struggled to contain his temper.

Carlisle took a calming breath, channeling patience, and reminding himself that Edward truly believed that Bella would regret going through the transformation. But still, Edward's tone, and his suggestion that the decision was somehow made to punish him personally got on his nerves. This boy could be so self obsessed sometimes! He held up his hands and tried to talk his son down

**" You miss the point Edward. I wont be 'overruling' anything, because _this is what Bella wants_".**

He stressed the last part of his sentence, trying to impress the import of Bella's part in the decision upon his hotheaded child. He wasn't sure it worked, as Edward's eyes darkened in anger and he snapped out.

**" She doesn't know what she wants! She only sees the glamour of this life, and you do nothing to dissuade her!"** The bronze haired vampire was pacing a little, casting venomous looks at his father.

Carlisle held his son's angry gaze and narrowed his eyes infinitesimally. _Stop that Edward!_ he mentally chided._ I really dont want to believe that you haven't learned your lesson from this morning_. He glanced meaningfully at his sons backside and quirked a brow in question. It seemed to do the trick as Edward sighed in exasperation before falling into a sulky silence.

After that, they ran back to the house, Edward quietly fuming but choosing wisely to hold his tongue, not willing to risk his behind again by mouthing off to Carlisle. Besides, his father had said he could speak to Bella this evening, and he still had one card to play in his battle to keep her human. He could only hope it worked.

**A/N: So this chapter kind of wrote itself. I hope it isnt too much talking, too little action, but I wanted to give our boy Edward's family a chance to try and get it through to him that his whole attitude towards Bella was wrong. Who thinks its worked?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer; I do not own Twilight or its characters.**

**A/N: Excuse me putting this up top, but just wanted to address something that has come up in reviews. I don't intend for this to be a 'lets bash Edward' fic. I have a lot of love for our stroppy, sometimes misguided vamp, and I hope that as this story progresses we will see him relaxing a little and taking on board what his family are trying to tell him. After all, he loves Bella, and most of his actions come from that place. Its his methods that are questionable! I'll shut up now. Hope you enjoy : )**

Back at home, Edward retreated to his bedroom with the excuse of wanting to shower. He was still fuming, and he didn't try too hard to hide it as he left Carlisle in the foyer and crashed up to his room. He heard his mother and siblings' exasperated thoughts wondering what was wrong now, but he tried his best to tune them out as he stripped off and stood under a scalding hot shower, resting his head against the tiles and wishing that the water would provide some relief to his sore and aching muscles. Once the water had run cold, and he no longer had any chance of claiming that any debris form the hunt clung to his form, he stepped out and dressed in clean clothes, before throwing his window open and gazing out at the darkening sky.

His thoughts were a mess. The information that Carlisle had imparted on their hunt had enraged him. He hated that his family seemed to have such a cavalier attitude to Bella's mortality, almost enough to rival her own disregard for it. But as Carlisle had so succinctly pointed out, the family had voted in favour, and try as he might, he couldn't fight all of them to keep Bella human. Perhaps he could buy himself more time, longer to try and convince her. He shook his head, unable to shake off what his father had said. Was he doing the wrong thing trying to influence Bella's choices? His teeth snapped together in frustration at trying to second guess himself. He would feel better if he could just hear her voice he decided, searching out his father's thoughts and pinpointing him in his study.

**"Carlisle, I'd like to call Bella now"** he said, knowing his voice would carry perfectly well. _Very well son_ came the silent response , and withing a couple of seconds Carlisle appeared, extending the cordless phone towards the teen. Edward took it and waited for his father to leave, huffing loudly when he realised that his coven leader intended to supervise his phone conversation from inside his room. Turning his back to Carlisle in a useless attempt to get some privacy, he dialed Bella's number, anxious to hear her voice.

**" Yup?"** Edward grimaced as instead he got Charlie's gruff voice. This probably wouldn't go well.

**"Good evening Chief Swan"** he said, as respectfully as possible. **" Its Edward. I was hoping to speak with Bella?"**

There was silence on the other end of the line until Charlie's dry voice piped up**.** **"You were hoping were you Edward?"** he said, disapproval heavy even over the phone line** "..well I'll tell you what you can do with..."** Edward was spared hearing whatever recommendations the good chief was about to make when he broke off and there was some scuffling on the end of the line, Bella's voice eventually coming through the receiver.

**"Edward?"** she said breathily, as if she had just wrestled the phone from the grip of a protective and displeased parent.** " Is that** you?"

Edward could literally feel the tension start to trickle out of him as he smiled into the handset.** "Bella"**  
He took a deep breath, unneeded as it was and scuffed his feet on the carpet in his bedroom.

**"I'm sorry you haven't heard from me sooner, love, its just.."**

Bella cut him off** " Alice told me...about you being in trouble with Carlisle, and...you know".** He could almost hear her blushing on the other end of the line, and he was sure if he could he would be flushed as red as a beetroot himself. How mortifying. Not only had he had to suffer the indignity of being taken over his father's knee like an errant child, but his now his girlfriend knew all about it. How could Alice do this to him? He pinched the bridge of his nose and was silent for a few beats.

**"Was it...I mean, are you ok?**" came Bella's hesitant inquiry down the receiver. He could picture her biting her lip as she spoke and wondered what she would be thinking. Pity? He turned around, seeing Carlisle watching him carefully, and he scowled.

**"I'm fine. I'd really rather not talk about it"** he replied curtly, turning his back once again on his father and hoping that Bella would just drop the subject, and with any luck, forget anything she had ever heard about it. Thankfully she seemed to read the tone of his voice and didn't ask any more questions.

**" I'm sorry Bella, if my behaviour frightened you earlier today"** He finally said, wishing that his father wasn't sitting in on the conversation. Its not like Carlisle wouldn't have been able to hear from his study, but Edward knew that he was making a point, ensuring Edward knew the extent of his restricted privileges right from the beginning. He hated him for it.  
There was silence on the other end of the line, with the exception of Bella's soft breathing, which hitched. Oh no, was she crying? Edward's heart plummeted as ran a hand through his hair, tugging the already wayward strands as an outlet for his anxiety. A telltale sniff confirmed his suspicions and he wished with all his heart that he could go to her.

**"Bella love, please don't cry"** he begged, moving further away from Carlisle and hunching his shoulders, as if could grant him any privacy. **" I truly am sorry..I just forgot myself. I should never have spoken to you as I did. I...I suppose you could say I'm not always as restrained as you might imagine with my family."**

A small snort gave him hope. Was she laughing at him? Whilst the thought was not entirely pleasing, he definitely preferred it to crying so he fell silent again, waiting to see if Bella was ready to talk to him, his patience paying off as she sniffed again.

**"You're never going to change me are you?"** she asked in a small voice, and Edward screwed his eyes shut, formulating a response even as Carlisle's thoughts became audible in his mind. _Dont mislead her son_ he warned, earning himself a petulant glare from his firstborn. Edward's voice was measured as he spoke.

**"You know its not what I want, love. But it would appear my family have other ideas."** He shot his father another dark look as he said this, causing Carlisle to raise his eyebrows skeptically. _Really Edward?_ came his thoughts,enough this time to cause the bronze hired teen to reconsider, and drop his gaze to the floor.

Bella sounded confused and a little hurt **" You mean...they want me? But you don't."**

Edward sighed loudly. **"No Bella. That's not what I said. I can't...perhaps we could have this conversation in person. I can't go out"** he said glumly **" But perhaps you could come over here tomorrow and I could explain it to you better**." He waited for her reply, but when it came, it was not what he had anticipated.

**"I can't tomorrow Edward, I have plans all day with Charlie. He's already mad at me so I don't want to push it"** Bella sounded dismayed, but resigned.

**"Oh right."** said Edward, a little put out. **" What are you doing?"**

There was a pause before Bella answered. **"...there's a game on, so Charlie is going to watch it with Billy, and I'll hang with Jake"** she mumbled, guessing that it wouldn't go over well with the vampire on the other end of the phone.

**"...you'll 'hang' with Jake"** Edward repeated disbelievingly.** "You cant be serious Bella."**

Carlisle was watching him carefully, sensing his growing agitation, but so far keeping his thoughts to himself.  
Bella, bristling a little at Edward's tone, replied a little defensively.** " I'm going with Charlie, I don't really much of a say in the matter. Nothing is going to happen Edward, Jake is my friend. We hang out all the time"**

That stung Edward like a slap in the face,and he could hear his father's sympathetic thoughts, which only served to irritate him further. His next words to Bella were ground out through gritted teeth.** "Tell Charlie you'll come here instead"** he instructed, conveniently forgetting how Bella's father wasn't exactly his biggest fan at the moment. All he could think about was that...mutt..spending time with his Bella whilst he was unable to do anything to prevent it. A low growl bubbled out of his chest involuntarily.

Bella was upset but resolute **" Edward, you know I can't. I want to see you too. I'll ask Charlie if I can come over for a while on the way back."**

It would have to do. Carlise cleared his throat and Edward turned to look at him. _Time to wind it up Edward, you will see her tomorrow_ he instructed silently, inciting a pleading look from his son. Carlisle ignored it and held out his hand for the phone.

**"I have to go love"** Edward said despondently, now feeling thoroughly miserable. He dawdled over bidding Bella good night, after agreeing that she would come over about six pm the next day. Edward could feel it dragging already. Once she had hung up, Edward's misery gave way to frustration. He hated the fact that Bella would be going to the reservation tomorrow and that he could do nothing to stop it. Damn groundings, surely the beating he had taken this morning was enough of a punishment? His father, the one who was responsible for keeping him from Bella, extended his hand to take the receiver from him, and in a fit of pique, Edward threw the handset out of the window, where it collided with a tree and smashed into pieces.

The resulting lightning fast swats that his father delivered were enough to reignite the burn from his earlier chastisement and Edward yelped, pulling himself away from Carlisle's sudden grip on his arm and rubbing at his smarting backside.

**"Your temper is your worst enemy Edward"** Carlise said wearily.** " I've had enough of it today, do you think we can just try and make it through a few hours without you being disrespectful or defiant?"**

He departed then, and Edward was left on his own in his room. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer; I do not own Twilight or its characters.**

As Edward had feared, it had been a very long day. He had kept mostly to himself, trying to get a handle on his thoughts, or sulking, as Rosalie was obnoxiously telling everyone. Now he was sitting at his piano, toying with a piece that he had been working on. It wouldn't quite fall into place, much like his life he mused, as his fingers stopped playing and hovered over the keys. He shifted slightly, still not entirely comfortable sitting, and let his mind drift to the other members of the family.

Alice, Rosalie and Jasper had gone to Seattle for the day. There had been some strange news reports coming out of the city lately, and Jasper wanted to take a look around. The girls, obviously, were planning on taking a look around the shops and thats about all. They had piled into Rosalie's BMW about three hours ago, Alice giving Edward a little heads up before she left.** "Bella is going to ask you again about changing her, if you lose your temper, she tries to leave and you break her wrist trying to stop her. So don't you dare lose it Edward!"** For someone of diminutive stature, she really could be quite intimidating, Edward had thought, earning a snigger from Jasper as he picked up on the anxiety Edward was transmitting. He had waved them off with a scowl.

Esme was in her study, going over some plans for a new project she was working on, just outside Port Angeles. He had spoken to her briefly earlier when she had come to listen to him play, and had rested her hand on his shoulder. Her thoughts had told him how glad she was to have him back, to hear his music in the house again. She had given him a little glimpse into how she had felt whilst he was gone, and Edward had played a series of wrong notes, before turning and embracing his mother. He had never, would never, intend to bring so much pain to her sweet heart. It was yet another crime to add to the long list.

Carlisle had left early for a shift at the hospital, leaving Edward with a loaded instruction to behave himself. Edward could see in his thoughts that he really didn't want to have to punish him anymore. It always took an emotional toll on him when he was forced to discipline one of his children, and yet he never flinched from what he saw as his responsibilities as both a father and leader. Edward sometimes wished he would, such as now when he could not get comfortable no matter how he tried position himself on the hard piano bench. He eventually got up, and looking at his watch, sighed when he realised there were still two hours to kill before he could hope to see Bella.

He wandered aimlessly into the lounge, almost turning round again when he saw his hulk of a brother sitting on the couch. He wasn't in the mood to be mocked by Emmett right now. But Emmet's thoughts were a little more subdued than usual as he looked over his shoulder at his wayward younger brother.

**"'Sup"** was Emmett's succinct greeting. He was playing some kind of shoot 'em up on the Xbox, and without ceasing his gaming, he tossed the second controller at Edward, who caught it deftly.

**"Don't worry bro, couch cushions are soft"** he snickered slyly as Edward gingerly took a seat. Edward muttered some choice curses at him, but they soon both became engrossed in the game. To Edward's surprise it was quite a good distraction. You had to keep focused, and it was one activity where his mind reading didn't give him a huge advantage. In fact, the Xbox was doing a good job at defeating both vampires at the moment, and after he had died for the third time in ten minutes, Emmett put down his controller.

**" Fuck up much Eddie?"** he asked, so out of the blue that Edward wasn't sure he'd heard right the first time.

**"Pardon me?"**

**"Jus' sayin. You did a pretty good job fucking up over the last few days...scratch that..months!"**

There wasn't any malice in Emmett's tone, he was simply making an observation, and Edward found it hard to refute his words. He dropped his controller into his lap and leant back into the couch, turning his head to look at his burly big brother. **" And your point is?"**

Emmett shrugged. He wasn't really one for delving into emotions, he was much more physical in his approach to life, and so Edward was half expecting to be grabbed in a half nelson and pummelled at any second. But this time it seemed that even Emmett couldn't make light of recent events.  
**" You aint getting any lectures from me Eddie**" he said , giving his younger sibling a long look.** " Just glad you're back now. And if you can stop talking shit to everyone,we might finally be able to get back to normal around here"**. He clapped a meaty hand on Edward's shoulder, and, having reestablished their fraternal bond, the two returned to the game, not moving much or speaking, until the distant thrum of an old sounding engine caused Edward to discard his controller and get to his feet.

He would recognize the sound of Bella's old hunk of junk anywhere, and had opened the her door for her before she'd even managed to switch off the ignition, taking her small hand in his own cool grip and helping her down from the truck. He pulled her close for a moment, ready to breathe in the sweet scent of her, desperate to get his fix again. It wasn't her blood that called to him now, it was just her, and he inhaled greedily, pulling back when he got a nose-full of wet dog. Bella looked up at him in surprise.

**"I can smell wolves on you"** he answered her unspoken question, taking her hand and walking toward the house. He was trying to mask his annoyance, but it seemed he was doing a bad job as Bella's face had fallen and she shuffled after him with her eyes downcast. Edward tried to make amends.** "I've missed you"** he said, walking with her up the steps and into the house, where Emmett waved from the sofa like a goon. Bella raised a smile at that at least. They needed to talk.

He began guiding Bella up the stairs towards his bedroom, when the sound of Esme clearing her throat caused Bella and Edward to pause. Whilst she smiled and embraced Bella, Esme's thoughts reminded Edward of one of the conditions of his punishment. Supervised time with Bella. Oh joy. He begrudgingly steered Bella towards the living room, where they sat down on one of the large white couches across from Emmett who, upon seeing Bella's confusion and Edward's scowl, grinned widely.

**"Don't worry Bella, just Mom and Dad don't trust Edward here alone with you, as he is being such a dork.**"

Edward narrowed his eyes at his brother, but didn't react further. Instead, he turned to face Bella, his back to the room and took one of her hands in both of his. She gave him a tentative smile, and he cleared his throat before speaking** " So, how was your day?"** It would've sounded more convincing if he hadn't choked over the words, but Bella obviously appreciated the effort he was making as she squeezed his hand before replying.

**"It was pretty awful actually. Jake is barely speaking to me, so I had to spend most of the day with Billy and Charlie."**

Edward did his best to arrange his expression into one resembling sympathy, when inside he was glad that Bella's friendship with the mutt seemed to be waning. He sounded contrite at least when he replied. "**I'm sorry to hear that love"**

_Your poker face sucks bro_ came Emmett's gleeful thoughts from across the room. Edward ignored him, and thankfully Bella's level of observance was seemingly less than that of his annoying sibling, as she simply wrung her hands together and nodded, before taking a deep breath and looking Edward dead in the eyes

**"So..what did you mean yesterday?"** she asked, a hint of a blush rising on her cheeks** " About your family and me becoming like you?"**

Edward shifted a little, Alice's warning going round and round in his head. He was also aware of the fact that both Emmett and Esme were tuned into the conversation, even if they appeared to be engrossed in their own activites. Concentrating on calming the spike of anger that he felt remembering his conversation with Carlisle, he responded quietly.

**"Carlisle has said that he will change you, given the result of the vote. He has advised me that he will do this with or without my blessing."**

Bella's face fell, but he held up a hand, begging her to let him continue before she felt rejected all over again. Edward had spent a long time during the day pondering how he could at least buy himself more time. He was convinced that if he could do that, he would eventually be able to persuade her to abandon the idea all together. So, searching Bella's eyes with his own, he played his trump card.

**"...what do you want more than anything else in the world?"**

Bella looked confused for a moment, before answering decidedly** "You"**

He smiled and shook his head **"Something that you don't already have"**

This made her think, a small furrow appearing between her brows. After a lengthy pause, she looked up again

**"I would...I would want you to be the one to change me..."**

Inside, Edward was high fiving himself for his foresight. He could definitely work with that. Lifting Bella's hand to his lips, he pressed a cool kiss to her soft skin.

**" Ok love, I will change you...in exchange for you staying human for five more years"**

Bella's verbal exclamation matched the mental ones that Edward heard from his mother and brother, who were just as surprised as she was with this new development. Before Bella had time to answer, they were disturbed by Carlisle returning from work. The blonde vampire came through the door and hung his coat, leaving his black bag on a side table with his car keys, before he greeted the room. As he settled down on the love seat next to Esme, he picked up on the excited tension in the room

**"Whats going on?"** His eyes automatically shifted to Edward, who rolled his eyes, but Esme put her hand on his knee and spoke softly.** " Edward and Bella are just trying to agree terms for him to change him herself"**.  
She smiled as she said it, her thoughts revealing that she was overjoyed that Edward seemed to be reconciling to the idea of Bella's change. Carlisle however, wasn't so entranced and his thoughts were quite loud in Edward's head. _I hope you're not brow beating the poor girl Edward_ he thought _We discussed you letting Bella make her own choices._

Edward pointedly ignored him,and the following glare, and gave Bella's hand a reassuring squeeze to prompt her.

**"No way"** was her stubborn return.

It took another forty minutes of to-ing and fro-ing before they finally agreed on eighteen months. Bella was adamant that she wanted to be turned before she was twenty, Edward was convinced he would be able to change her mind in that amount of time. It felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and as he bid goodnight to Bella,he found himself pushing his own boundaries, tracing the outline of her lips with his tongue, gently invading her mouth and enjoying the soft gasp that his actions drew from her. He had to make her sit down for a while before he'd let her drive home.

As he excused himself upon her departure, Carlisle caught his eye._ I'm proud of you son, it seems having a little time has given you a more mature attitude towards respecting Bella's wishes. Well done._  
Edward paused, hating feeling like he was deceiving his father. But, he hadn't done anything wrong...had he? He nodded to show he had heard, before continuing upstairs, with one less thing hanging over his head.

**A/N: OK, this chapter was a nightmare. I started writing this fic as a discipline fic, just to see if I could really. But its kind of taken a life of its own and now I'm struggling with what it wants to be. I don't want to write a fic that is just a load of spanking and not much else, but want to make it a genuine part of the plot. Its just taking me a while to move the story along whilst avoiding making Edward really ooc and acting out at every turn. So, in short, please forgive me if you find the fic to be dawdling, but I can only learn! Feedback is always appreciated and encouraged : )**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

It had been three weeks since Edward, Bella and Alice had returned from Italy. Life was settling back into its usual routines, as much as it could whilst still being governed by the restrictions Carlisle and Esme had placed upon their hot-headed son. Edward was still towing the line, but it was becoming harder each day that passed. Without being allowed to go to Bella's, he was spending a lot more time at home, and trying to keep himself occupied was an impossible task. He had exhausted his music collection, reread most of the classics, and even his beloved piano was becoming mundane. You knew things were bad when you were looking forward to school.

So, Edward found himself hovering impatiently by the door as he waited for Alice to stop fussing with her outfit. She was retying her neck scarf for the fourth time, and even with his enhanced eyesight, he couldn't see any difference. He rolled his eyes to heaven, earning himself a frown from Jasper who walked past him and spun his wife into an embrace, planting a sweet kiss on her forehead. _Cheerful today, aren't we?_ Jasper thought at him, no doubt being assaulted by Edward's foul mood, his gift being as it was. Edward didn't reply to Jasper, but instead turned imploringly to his sister

**"Alice, please can we go now. I can seriously see us being the only vampires in living history to get tardy slips if you retie that scarf one more time.."**

Alice raised her eyebrows at him._ I don't think you can see anything brother dear. Thats my gift remember. And we're going to be just fine_. came her silent reply. But still, she pecked Jasper on the cheek and picked up her purse anyway.

**"Bye guys"** she sang out sweetly to the rest of the household, before dancing out to the garage where Edward looked longingly at at his cars. Alice caught his hangdog expression and smiled.

**"I can see Carlisle letting you drive the Volvo next Thursday"** she said **" He's been very impressed that you haven't broken any of your restrictions and thinks you deserve a break"**

Edward sighed. It was something at least. He figured he deserved a break too. He watched as Alice replayed her vision for him, before climbing into the passenger seat of Rosalie's red convertible. Alice had been driving it to and from school as Carlisle had advocated not driving the canary yellow Porsche that Edward had bought her as a thank you gift. The car had gone a long way to mending the fractures in their relationship, and even though it had caused Carlisle to put a restriction on his allowance as well, to Edward it had been worth it. Alice's ability saved him from a lot of trouble one way or another, and he had missed her sunny disposition.

Their unusual choice of vehicle had been noted by the humans at Forks High, with most of them figuring that Edward was in some kind of trouble at home. The official story explaining their return was that Esme had not liked LA, but the student body were veering between two theories, one, that Edward had gotten into drugs in the bright lights of the city, or that the handsome Doctor had been tempted by the glamorous LA nurses and that Mrs Cullen had yanked the family back to Forks to keep him away from temptation. Edward had also been infuriated at the number of people's thoughts who were shocked that Bella had taken him back. Every time he was lambasted with images of her looking broken, hopeless, and every time it brought the same crushing feelings of guilt. So, he gritted his teeth as he climbed out of the car in the parking lot and caught Newton's disappointment that he hadn't been shipped off to military school or the like. Edward shot him a venomous look, rewarded by Newton dropping his eyes and scurrying off. He was glaring after him when a small pair of arms wrapped themselves around his midsection.

**"Morning love"** he smiled widely, leaning to press a small kiss to the top of Bella's head. As usual, her very presence mellowed him, and he draped an arm carefully over her shoulders as he steered them towards the school. Alice walked with them for a little while before departing to her first class. Edward dawdled, reluctant to leave Bella so soon. The late re-enrollment had left them with few classes together, and for the first time, even Edward's powers of persuasion had not proven fruitful. So the few minutes together before first period and at lunch were precious, and Edward drew her closer, trying to get his fill before they were separated again. Bella didn't object of course, gazing up into his eyes. He noticed her own were smudged underneath with violet shadows, tracing his finger very softly over them as if to wipe them away.

**"Did you not sleep well?"** he inquired, concern evident in his voice. It was another draw back of his punishments, he was now unable to come over and soothe her to sleep. Perhaps that would need to change.  
But Bella shook her head a little. **" Jake's still not returning my calls.."**  
Edward noticeable stiffened, and his voice was curt.** " I see."**  
Bella noticed his less than subtle reaction and sighed** " Edward, he's just a friend. A very good friend who was there for me when...when.."**  
**"When I wasn't"** Edward finished for her, his face set like stone. He couldn't help himself as he continued **"It doesn't sound much like he wants to be your friend now though Bella, so maybe you should just leave it. Its for the best"**  
Bella stepped away from him, a frown marring her beautiful face. She was about to reply when Edward looked over her shoulder, picking up on the thoughts of Mr Banner, heading their way.

**"Mr Cullen, Miss Swan, are we going to attend any classes today? Or just stand chatting in the hallways?"**

He looked pointedly at his watch and Edward wanted to throttle him. But Bella flushed and turned and hurried away from him towards English, not even saying goodbye. Edward ran his hands through his hair in frustration, and then, aware that Mr Banner was still watching him, turned and made his way to History.

The rest of the day passed without excitement. Bella had still been cool with him at lunch, and he had wisely not mentioned the issue of the mutt again. They had Biology together, and then Bella had a free last period whilst he was forced to endure the farce that was Gym. So they said goodbye next to Bella's red monstrosity, and he felt like she was thawing again. It seemed an impossibly long time until he would see her again in the morning, and he was beginning to think that it might be worth petitioning Carlisle for a bit of leniency. With that in his thoughts, he kissed her sweetly farewell, and then trudged wearily to gym.

It was basketball this semester, and Edward spent most of the class pretending to be as mediocre as his team mates. He couldn't resist trouncing Newton a couple of times, but he figured it was only fair. Ignoring his sister's frown from down the hall, he was just pondering how he could inflict some debilitating injury upon his class mate without Carlisle finding out when he picked up on Alice's sudden switch in thoughts. Turning to look at her, he could see that familiar miles away expression that indicated she was having a vision, and as she she experienced it, so did he. He watched Bella walking into the poky kitchen at her home and pick up the phone, before frowning and putting it down again. A low growl almost escaped him as he figured she was trying Jacob again. It was soon forgotten when abruptly the vision turned to black.

Edward inhaled sharply. He knew what that meant,and from her placating thoughts, so did Alice.  
_Don't do anything stupid Edward_ she pleaded with him, looking aghast. But Edward was already striding from the gym, all thoughts of maintaining a low profile forgotten as he blatantly ignored his teacher's requests to explain and crashed through the double doors of the sports hall. He could hear the curious thoughts of his classmates even from outside, but he didn't pause to listen. Instead, once in the open air he broke into a run, as fast as he was able in broad daylight.

He couldn't believe she was actually contemplating actually going to the reservation. Compromising her safety like that... going to see him! He gnashed his teeth together as he slowed to a halt in front of the Chief's house. It only took a second to effectively disable the piece of junk, and then he just stood off to one side and waited. Sure enough, Bella came out of the front door and clambered up into the cab. She tried to start the truck and was met with nothing, trying a second and then a third time before she looked up and noticed him standing by the tree line. Her face fell for a moment and Edward met her wide eyes. Very slowly, he lifted the small black engine part in his hand and watched as Bella's expression turned from guilt to disbelief. It didn't affect him greatly, his own fury was eclipsing all his other emotions right now. He felt betrayed and hurt. Did she not understand the danger? At the back of his mind he refused to acknowledge the demons of his own insecurities. What was Jacob offering that she couldn't get from him? A myriad of torturous answers plagued him.

With one last look at Bella, he turned and blurred into the trees.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Edward didn't run straight home. He was running in the general direction when his frustrations got the better of him and he lashed out at a nearby tree, watching it crash to the ground with a feral roar. A host of birds took flight at the commotion, and the forest fell silent as its residents took note at the presence of the alpha predator. It wasn't enough. Letting loose his temper, Edward ripped another tree from the ground and sent it flying, cursing at his own childish tantrum as he did so. Bella's expression haunted him, she had looked genuinely shocked, with even a hint of fear. It a normal human, that emotion was expected, but his Bella had proven time and time again that she was not run of the mill. He had grown complacent in her acceptance of him, and that small flash of fear made his heart constrict. It was for her protection though, he told himself as he surveyed the small clearing he had created in his little demolition project. She would come to see it eventually, and in the meantime, if it meant her being upset with him then he would have to overcome that. Better her upset here, than on the reservation with that mongrel.

He managed the rest of the run home without devastating the forest further, and as he got in range of the house, he could hear the thoughts of his family. Alice wasn't yet home, and thankfully, Carlisle and Esme didn't appear to be either. It was easy enough to jump up to his balcony without disturbing the others. He heard Jasper's thoughts as he tried to get a grip on Edward's emotional climate. He was wondering what the hell was going on now, but being Jasper, he didn't come and push for an explanation, instead sending soothing waves back towards his troubled sibling. Edward embraced them. Still in his gym gear, he quickly shed the disheveled items of clothing and shrugged into a pair of dark wash jeans and a black button down shirt. Dark colours to match his dark mood, Alice would be proud. He realised that he had left his book bag and regular clothes in the locker at school, and hoped his elfin sister would collect them for him. She would be home soon.

With a sigh, he picked up his current journal and began divesting himself of the things that burdened him, a cathartic experience. His elegant script filled page after page, and he was quite absorbed, only stopping when Alice burst into his room, closely followed by Jasper who was trying to calm his enraged wife. Alice didn't speak, but her thoughts were coming through loud and clear, and Edward winced a little.  
_You're an idiot_ she chided him. _Mrs Cope is calling Carlisle about you ditching gym, so you can wave goodbye to any kind of mercy from him. Honestly Edward, why do you do this to yourself?_

Edward frowned.** "Alice, you saw what she was going to do? What, you expect me to just let her run off to visit with WOLVES? When you can't see and I can't follow?"**  
Alice shook her head _No_, she replied silently. _But you drew attention to yourself, and you're pushing Bella away. She's not going to take kindly to you trying to control..._  
Her admonishments were cut off by Jasper** "Erm...not to intrude"** he said, gesturing between his wife and brother,** " But Bella is walking down the drive and she is pissed! I can barely hold up against it. What's going on?**  
This made Edward sit up. Bella had walked here?  
Alice narrowed her eyes at him._ I was just getting to that part_ she thought. _You had better do some damage control Edward, if thats even possible._

Edward cursed, and blurred downstairs to throw open the door. Sure enough, there was Bella, her slight figure positively stomping down the Cullen's long drive. She hadn't seen him yet, and for a moment he was flustered. Anything could have happened to her on the way here, it was a long walk. He had not anticipated her reaction and it had made her vulnerable. When would he ever get it right? He was distracted momentarily by the shrill ringing of his cell, which he brought out of his pocket and quickly silenced. It was Carlisle, and he knew he would pay for that later, but right now he had a more pressing crisis to diffuse. Bella finally looked up and saw him, and he could see her face deepen into a scowl. It seemed her fear had abated, and been replaced by rage, as Jasper had rightly identified.

**"Edward Culle**n" she shouted as she continued her march towards the sprawling house.** " You had better come over and fix my truck or so help me God.."**

Edward put his hands in his pockets and waited for her to draw closer. He wasn't about to have a shouting match in front of all his siblings, who, hearing the disturbance, had all assembled and were bombarding him with their, mostly unhelpful, thoughts. Rosalie was looking forward to seeing Edward get yelled at by his little human, whilst Emmett was thinking that Bella was quite hot when she was mad. Jasper was starting to feel agitated, absorbing all of Bella's anger and projecting it back out, and Alice was carefully blocking him, a disappointed frown on her face. Looked like he was on his own.

As Bella drew closer, Edward stepped down off the porch. He knew he ought to try and smooth things over, but his underlying anger at Bella's friendship with Jacob, combined with the emotions that Jasper was unwittingly reflecting made him react differently.

**"I'm not sorry Bella. We spoke about this."**

His tone was supercilious and Bella's eyes widened, her anger increasing at his patronizing tone.

**"Urghhh, who does that?** Wh**o wrecks someones truck because they're jealous?**" Bella was shouting, two bright spots of red appearing high on her cheeks. She threw her hands up in the air in frustration.  
_You wrecked her truck?_ Emmett thought directly at Edward, who replied at human speed so Bella would hear his answer too.

**"I didn't wreck it"** he seethed** "I temporarily disabled it. And this isn't about my feelings about Jacob. Its about your safety. Which, by the way, you disregarded by walking all the way over here."**

Bella rolled her eyes to heaven, wishing for a moment that Edward could read her mind so he could see exactly how mad she was. It wasn't in her nature to be confrontational, but he'd taken things too far. He couldn't just swan back into her life and expect her to cast aside anyone he didn't approve of. Charlie had given some good advice, she didn't want to isolate herself again like she had when the Cullens were here before. But as she stared at his beautiful face, his tawny eyes flashing with anger, her own emotions became too much, and much to her dismay, her throat tightened and she felt the wash of salt over her eyes.

_You're a dick Edward_ Emmett thought loudly at him, feeling sorry for his 'little sis'. Rosalie was hurling some pretty choice insults at him too, and Alice had dropped Jasper's hand and gone to comfort Bella, looking at him and shaking her head. Edward sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Of course he didn't want Bella upset to the point of tears, and he stepped towards her to offer comfort, stopping when she turned away from him and instead leant into his sister. Arghhh, he'd done it again. He kept ending up as the bad guy, and he didn't enjoy it very much. He really was just trying to look out for Bella...

It sounded lame even to him. Seeing her like this, knowing that he was the cause, made it easier to see the flawed logic that led him to tamper with her truck. It had been impulsive, and, as much as didn't want to admit it, pretty disrespectful towards Bella. It just infuriated him that she still wanted to spend time with that..boy. And that she didn't seem to mind going directly against him in order to do so. Before he left, Bella was usually happy to go along with him. Now though...

His internal musings came to abrupt halt as he picked up the distant purr of a familiar engine. Shit. Sure enough, his siblings heard it too, and he heard their mixed thoughts, from sympathy to his plight, to downright glee that he was certain to get his backside tanned. Edward suddenly felt nervous.

**"Bella..."** he said gently, putting a hand on her arm. **" Carlisle and Esme are on their way back. Perhaps... maybe we could go upstairs and..."**

He was clutching at straws and he knew it. Even if he could coax Bella upstairs, Carlisle and Esme would hear everything and smell Bella's tears. They would want to know what was going on. And Edward wouldn't put it past certain family members to rat him out anyway. He was so going to get it.

**A/N:Uh oh. Looks like our Edward is in for a rough ride again. What do you think his punishment should be? He's starting to admit to himself that he's been at fault, but will he be as frank with his parents? And will Bella forgive him? All shall be revealed. Im seeing a couple more chapters and then I'll probably call it a day on this fic. Thankyou all for reading and reviewing x**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

The whole family was congregated on the porch by the time Carlisle turned off the engine. Both he and Esme were quick to exit the vehicle, concern etched across both their faces. Edward could hear their thoughts, they were worried, but the edge was taken off when they accounted for each and every family member, Bella included. He felt, rather than saw, Carlisle's gaze turn to him, but kept his head lowered, scuffing his shoes a little on the gravel on the drive.

Esme spoke first. **"What's going on? Why are you all out here?"**

The siblings exchanged glances, and Edward could feel the weight of their eyes upon him. Though he could hear their internal discussions, it seemed his brothers and sisters were going to allow him to bring their parents up to speed on the situation, not a prospect he relished in the slightest. He sighed.

**" Bella and myself were having a discussion..I think perhaps the others were finding it interesting viewing. There's nothing wrong, Mom"**

His eyes met those of his adoptive mother, and he could hear the relief in the tenor of her thoughts. None of her babies were in danger, she could relax. Edward basked in her maternal warmth for a moment, before she looked over at Bella and her thoughts changed direction again.

**"Bella dear? You look a little upset there honey?"**

Edward watched Bella flush as she realised that Esme's question had drawn everyone's attention to her. She looked panicked for a moment, before her eyes found his and narrowed slightly. He gulped. Bella had the power to get him in a whole world of trouble right now, and judging by the way she was straightening her shoulders and jutting her chin, she wasn't planning on holding back for his sake. He chanced a glance at Carlisle, who was watching him right back, the now familiar block up in front of his thoughts. Alice had said that the school had called him, and Edward didn't usually bet against her. The last thing the teenager needed was for Bella to reveal how he had not only broken his restrictions by going to her house, but the business with the truck as well. He averted his eyes from his father,a sure tell that he was guilty of some infraction, and studied his shoes intently as Bella spoke up.

**"...thank you Esme, but I'm okay."**

Her words sounded strained to everyone's ears, and Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look, the silence eventually broken by a sigh from the coven leader.

**" Edward, go and wait in my study please. The rest of you surely have better things to do,no?"** Carlisle looked hard at his other children, until all but Alice began to move away. Edward too dawdled, anxious to leave Bella, even if he wasn't her favourite person right now. He caught her eye, not missing the slightly challenging look that she leveled at him. He gazed back, his mind running through what he wanted to say, rejecting all of it. It took his father speaking again to remind Edward that he was supposed to be moving. Carlisle's voice was tinged with annoyance, he had evidently prompted Edward in his mind, but the message hadn't gotten through.

**"My study son. I want to speak with Bella and Alice and then I'll be with you"**

Edward sighed. Carlisle was obviously going to interrogate them to figure out what was going on. Even if Bella didn't divulge the reason for their disagreement, he knew Alice would. She hated lying to Carlisle and Esme, and given that she was pissed at his behaviour too, she didn't have much motivation to try and save his ass. He could hear Esme wondering internally what had got Bella upset even now, and running his hand through his unruly hair he figured they might as well hear it from him. His eyes flickered between his creator and the woman who had become his mother in all but blood. It wasn't going to be pretty.

**" I..uh..disabled Bella's truck"** he said quietly, answering Esme's thoughts** "That's why we were arguing"**

He glanced up at his audience to gauge their reactions, even though their thoughts gave him a pretty good picture. Carlisle was irritated that he had ignored his instruction again, but was waiting to hear if Edward would add anything further. Esme's brow was creased in confusion as she looked between Bella and her son.

**"Why would you do that? Explain please"**

Edward's eyes flickered sideways to where Bella was standing with Alice, and even the precarious situation he found himself in now didn't stop his feelings of anger returning as he obeyed his mother's request.

**"She was planning on visiting the reservation. To 'hang out' with some werewolves."**

A little of his displeasure had seeped into his voice and Esme frowned at her son. Her thoughts showed surprise and disappointment that Edward would choose a course of action so controlling and childish in response to a problem in his relationship. She shot a glance to her mate and Edward dropped his head. Neither of his would be parents were happy.

**"Is that what happened?"**

Carlisle's question was soft and directed at Bella, who nodded in response, her brown eyes seeking out Edward, hurt and anger still visible in their mahogany depths.

**"I'm sorry" **she mumbled** " I didn't mean to involve everyone.."**

Carlisle waved his hand** " Bella, don't apologise. Whatever occurred, vandalising your property was certainly not Edward's best decision. He will be apologising to you for that later"**

Edward looked up at his father's comment, finding Carlisle's shrewd gaze burning into him. _I'm guessing this had something to do with you walking out of school as well_ came the silent question. Edward sighed and gave a small nod. It was almost imperceptible, but it was enough to spur his father into action.

**"Esme, why don't you and the girls go and find Bella some food and watch a movie or something?"** he said, walking at a human pace to Edward's side and taking a firm grip on his shoulder, moving him bodily towards the front door. Edward didn't resist. He had known the likely consequences of cutting out of school, and whilst it would have been a bonus if no-one had found out about the reason as to why, he'd known it unlikely. So he allowed his father to steer him inside and towards the stairs, continuing his trudge towards misery even as Carlisle released his grip. His creator's thoughts were clear, Carlisle was beyond frustrated. He had hoped that after the drama of their last confrontation that they wouldn't be in this position again for a good while longer. Now he was wondering if anything he had said had made an impression on his errant son. He was thinking about Edward's punishment and struggling. It wasn't as if the teen was running on many privileges as it was.

Once he reached the door of his father's study Edward paused, waiting for Carlisle to open the door and then reluctantly following him inside. He looked around miserably. Carlisle's study was a warm and functional room. In it, he kept many of the artifacts he had collected over his long years, those which Esme had not snapped up for the rest of the house. A large antique desk dominated the space, with a leather backed chair behind and similar but slightly smaller chair placed directly in front of it. Emmett referred to it as the 'hot seat', and no-one liked to find themselves sitting there, for it was a good indication that you were in trouble and in for a lecture if not worse. Edward slumped into it and stared resolutely at the carpet, waiting for the inevitable scolding. He was not kept waiting for long.

**" I honestly don't know what to say to you Edward"** Carlisle began._ Look at me please,_ he requested silently, before continuing.  
**" I certainly wasn't expecting to receive a call from the school informing me that you'd walked out. Need I remind you, we're trying to keep a low profile?"** His father stressed the last two words, his golden eyes burning with frustration. He was standing behind his desk, his hands bracing themselves on wooden surface, his weight appearing to rest on his finger tips as he leant forwards towards his son.

**" I don't need to ask why you left, as that has become clear. But perhaps you could enlighten me as to where you went?"**

Edward shifted in his seat, an unnecessary movement, but one that had become second nature after many years trying to 'blend in' with the human population. He knew that Carlisle had pretty much figured out the afternoon's events, and he resented him a little bit for prolonging this ordeal by making him explain it himself. But he sighed and did it anyway.

**"I ran to Bella's home. She was inside, I took this out of the engine of her truck and then waited and watched her come out and try and start it. Then I ran home through the forest."**

He placed the missing engine part on Carlisle's desk and sat back, placing his hands on his lap, a sullen expression gracing his features. He knew it was a dick move, sabotaging her truck, but sometimes he just didn't know how to respond to her. Obviously, the puppy had been some comfort to her in his absence, but Edward was worried that perhaps Jacob Black had made further in roads than first anticipated. His scowl deepened at the had been a long silence, and Edward sought out his father's thoughts, only to find them blocked from him. Carlisle was looking out of the window towards the tree line, absentmindedly turning the engine part over and over in his hands. He eventually placed it back on the desk with a measured movement and moved around to stand in front of Edward.

**" So you ditched school, broke your curfew and went against Bella's wishes"** he stated simply, looking down at his first turned child. Edward didn't meet his father's eyes, but nodded, looking off to the side. He wished Carlisle would just get on with it, whatever his punishment would be. It was stifling being here, feeling the weight of disappointment and knowing that some kind of discipline was going to be meted out. Given that he had knowingly violated the restrictions his father had placed upon him after their last encounter, he knew that Carlisle would feel the need to correct him strongly. And his last punishment hadn't exactly been a walk in the park...he exhaled loudly, letting some of the nervous energy leave his body in a whoosh and dragged his eyes up to his creator's face, wishing that at this moment it wasn't so tainted with anger. Carlisle's eyes bore into his own, and with a sigh of resignation, the coven leader let his firstborn see into his thoughts. What Edward found there did not please him.

**"No way! "** came his verbal response, louder than he intended** " Not the Vanquish Carlisle...you know how long I searched for that model!"**

It was true. The vehicle sitting in the garage was one of only forty ever made. Edward had spent a lot of time arranging for it to be converted to a stick shift and imported from England, and he was obsessively protective of it. In his eyes, it was a thing of beauty only second to his dear Bella. Smooth lines, glossy black bodywork and a top speed of 200 mph. It was perfection and therefore Carlisle's indication that it was to be sold was a crushing blow. Edward found himself on his feet without having consciously made the decision to stand, facing off with his father.

They stood barely centimeters apart, Edward's outrage clear on his face. Downstairs, the conversation had fallen into silence as the family decided whether to intervene,Jasper's projected calm lapping at the consciousness of everyone in the house. Carlisle was resolute however, and he simply stared Edward down , golden eyes blazing, brow set, until the situation become untenable to the younger vampire and he dropped his eyes. Edward huffed, but let himself be guided back down into his seat by his father's index finger, which was momentarily rested on his chest, exerting a subtle pressure.

Once seated, Edward fell into a mammoth sulk. He refused to meet his father's eyes and glared bitterly at the floor, everything about him screaming petulant child. He knew it and didn't care, already grieving for his beautiful car. For once, he had Rosalie's sympathy, her thoughts traveling to him as the family guessed at what was to happen. His blonde sister shared his appreciation of cars, and felt a little of his pain. Of course, he could re-appropriate a Vanquish eventually, but it would be very obviously defying Carlisle, and that wasn't really how things were done in the Cullen family. Free will be damned, at the end of the day, it was Carlisle's final word on everything.

His father was looking down at him, obviously displeased with his son's reaction to news of his punishment. He didn't allow Edward to stew for long. Only three weeks ago his hand had been forced in disciplining the vampire before him, for all the good it seemed to have done. True, Edward's infractions were not as serious as the failed suicide mission and subsequent melt down, but they had shown a knowing disobedience towards Carlisle, and again, the same overbearing attitude towards Bella that had been brought up last time they were in this situation. Even if he were acting under the misapprehension that he was protecting Bella, Edward needed to see that his behaviours were completely unacceptable. He was at risk of driving away the best thing that had ever happened to him. But it was a perplexing situation. Bella herself was guilty of letting Edward lead in everything, of giving him too much power over her. This meant that on the rare occasions that she decided to go against Edward's wishes, he was left floundering, and made silly choices like he had today.

This was the reasoning that had led Carlisle to the path he was following, and the reason he had asked Esme and Alice to bring Bella into the house. He figured that perhaps if Bella saw Edward as less infallible, less immortal, invincible being and more as the teenage boy that also made up so much of his character, that they would both find it easier to find balance in their relationship. He knew what would follow would be distressing for both of them, but he was at a loss as to how else to respond to his son, and so with a quiet determination he spoke to his sulking charge.

**" Edward, I want you to submit to a spanking now please"**

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay in updating. I must admit i really struggled coming up with a punishment for Edward in this chapter. What would you have done?  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

******A/N: So, for those of you don't read the reviews, I had a change of direction with this chapter. I'm not sure I pulled it off really, but I had to do something to redirect the plot from where I had originally intended to take it. It is also about twice as long as other chapters because i couldn't find a point to stop at. I hope it doesn't suck too massively.**

For a moment, Edward didn't think he had heard his father properly. It was impossible of course, what with the enhanced abilities graced to his kind, but still, he had to replay the words in his head before he could grasp the meaning of them. And with that comprehension came an immediate panic reaction. His eyes shot up to his father's face, an expression of shock painted upon his own features.

**"...now? you mean... with..."** Edward was instantly babbling, shaking his head frantically from side to side. He had thought losing his dear car was punishment enough, could have endured another spanking if his father had dealt it, but this? This was too much. Always, Carlisle had given his children the right to maintain their dignity when receiving a punishment, sending the family away until matters had been resolved. It may have seemed a trivial act to some, considering that there were few secrets in a family like theirs, but it was important. Edward especially, abhorred the idea of anyone witnessing him at his most vulnerable, and up until now the family had always respected his privacy in this respect. He could barely form a sentence as the reality of what his father was asking of him became clear.

**"...Bella is here...everyone would hear..."**

Within the blink of an eye, Edward had blurred to the other side of the room, out of reach of his father, close enough to the window for him to be able to escape through it before Carlisle could get to him. His eyes were wide and wary, his mind frantically racing to keep up with his own feelings, and the thoughts of his family as they too heard the discussion taking place. He scrubbed his hands over his face, still shaking his head, before looking pleadingly into the eyes of his creator.

**" I can't..I can't do it Carlisle. I won't...I know I was wrong, I know it, I do. I'll fix it."**

His words were coming in stuttered gasps, his body going through all the motions of a full fledged panic attack. He didn't need to breathe, oxygen was of no benefit to him, and yet he found himself frantically trying to suck in great breaths of it, his head pounding, his whole body quaking. A door slammed downstairs as Jasper fled the onslaught of Edward's emotions. Bella could be heard asking what was wrong, the sound of her voice drifting up to the study only increasing Edward's distress. He was a millisecond away from fleeing, straight through the plate glass if needs be.

Carlisle had not expected such a reaction to his proposed punishment. He knew that it would be difficult for Edward, but punishments were not intended to be easy. But as he watched the bronze haired vampire go to pieces in front of him, he wondered how he could have so drastically misjudged the situation. He wanted to go to his child, to offer some comfort, but he was conflicted. If he hesitated now, would Edward mistake compassion for weakness? He had a duty to perform to his family, and if this boy kept on flouting rules right, left and centre, the family would be in jeopardy. But as his eyes looked upon his child, he could see too how lost Edward must be feeling. The teen had no experience of romantic attachment in his human life, and had gone so long as a the odd one out in their unusual family, that Carlisle knew he was always on red alert when it came to anything threatening his new found happiness with Bella. If only he could see that this time, the problem might be that very behaviour. The blond sighed and looked over at his charge once more.

**"Calm yourself Edward"** he said, raising his palms in a placating manner. **" Let us just bring this down a notch or two. Talk to me if you can"**

Edward's stance was still rigid, his hands curled defensively into fists, but somewhere in his clouded mind, he heard his father and battled to gain some control of himself once more. He pinpointed the one sound that calmed him like no other, and for a few moments focused on nothing but the thrum of Bella's heartbeat, closing his eyes against his surroundings and letting it soothe him like his own lullaby. It helped, and gradually he felt the panic lessen somewhat. He did not surrender his position by the window, nor did he relax his posture, ensuring he was ready to move if the situation demanded. But he did manage to open his eyes and look at his father again, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled a deep breath through his nose. After a few moment under Carlisle's concerned gaze and he managed to speak, his voice sounding far away and tight to his own ears

**"...pp please Dad. I'll take whatever you have for me...you can sell the Volvo too if you like...but don't..I can't.."**

He broke off, Carlisle at first thinking that his emotions had gotten too much for him again, but then he heard what had silenced his son. Determined footsteps, the telltale heartbeat drawing closer, until a soft knock sounded upon the solid oak door of the study. Edward froze, his eyes fixed upon the entrance, and then flashing back to his father in panic. He wondered if this part of Carlisle's plan, to actually have Bella witness his punishment as well as hear it. A frantic dip into his father's mind revealed that he was not expecting this interruption, and was a little displeased by it. Now Edward was confused. What was Bella doing?  
Carlisle flashed Edward a scrutinizing look. _Are you in control son?_ he inquired, waiting for the affirmative nod before indicating to Bella that she may enter. She did.. peeking round the door, hesitantly shooting her eyes over to Edward, who stared back, his brow furrowed. Carlise waited for Bella to step inside before looking at her questioningly.

"What can I do for you Bella?" he said, a little impatiently.

Bella chewed on her lip for a moment before she responded. **" Alice said it would be OK for me to come and talk to you...I hope you don't mind?"**

Carlisle's eyes narrowed a fraction. What was Alice up to? She must have seen something. He knew better than to second guess his all seeing daughter, and so gestured for Bella to take a seat on the chair that had been vacated by Edward. His eyes slid over to his son, who was still standing anxiously by the window, his hand tugging at his bronze locks, mussing it into even greater disarray than was its normal state. _Calm down Edward, nothing is going to happen with Bella here_.

The other vampire looked up sharply, his gaze questioning, and Carlisle nodded. _Yes, you heard me right. I wont be punishing you in front of Bella. Or anyone else._

Even as he made the decision and thought it to Edward, he saw the tension leave the younger vampire. It wasn't the first time Carlisle had ever been swayed on his decided punishment, but such occasions were few and far between. As he watched the immediate change in his son, he hoped he had not made a mistake.

**" We will continue this discussion later Edward"** Carlisle said, fixing Edward with a level gaze before returning his attention to Bella who was oblivious to their silent dialogue.** " Go on Bella"** he encouraged** "What is it you wished to discuss?"**

He and Edward both turned their eyes upon the human girl, who flushed and seemed to wind herself up before she spoke.

**"I...I don't want you to punish Edward like that**" she blurted out, her blush deepening to an almost impossible red.** " I know what he did was wrong...and I'm still mad at him.."** she flashed her vampire boyfriend a dark look** "..but I don't think he deserves to be..spanked like a child!"**

When she looked up at the blond vampire, he was looking right back at her, his eyebrows raised, a serous look on his beautiful face.

**"Bella, that's very noble of you. But how I discipline my children really isn't your concern. Edward knows that he has broken some rules, and he will be getting a spanking at a later date."**

At this, Edward's head bowed, he had known it was wishful thinking to hope that his father would forgo his physical punishment entirely. And it still seemed like a pleasant alternative to what Carlisle had previously been considering. He looked up in surprise when Bella's voice rang out again.

**" But..if he's losing his car...surely that is punishment enough?"**

She wasn't brave enough to hold Carlisle's eyes for long, but even so Edward was amazed at how forward she was being. He was touched that she would do that for him, even when he had acted as he had. Of course, it was more than a little mortifying having his girlfriend and his father discuss him getting spanked right in front of him, but it could have been so much worse. So yeah, he would take that. He managed to catch her eye and offered her a tight lipped smile, the expression falling from his face as she shook her head slightly. Obviously he was still in the dog house.

Carlisle watched their exchange with a wry look upon his face. He wasn't overly surprised by Bella's behaviour. After all, this was the girl who had stood up to the Voltaire to save Edward. Small and delicate she may appear, but Carlisle knew that Bella had more steel than his son realised. And it appeared as though she was more prepared to stand up for herself since they had returned, which again was no bad thing. He shook his head a little.

**"Nice try Bella, but you're not going to be able to talk him out of this one. But, as you're both here now...I would like to speak to you together. I hope we might be able to avoid this kind of situation again."**

He paused to pull a chair over from the wall and placed it next to the one in which Bella was sitting, gesturing then for his son to sit. Edward did as he was bid, searching Carlisle's mind as to the direction of this impromptu meeting, but finding his way blocked by an effective mental shield. Warily, Edward lowered himself into the chair and waited for his father to reveal all. The older vampire settled himself on the opposite side of the desk and looked between the couple before he spoke again.

**" I hope I don't need to tell either of you how important you are to this family"** Carlisle began.  
**" Edward, you are my first child, and were my first companion in this life. And Bella, you are the girl who has finally brought happiness to my boy, and in doing so have made this family complete. I realise the last few weeks have been difficult, you have both had and still have a lot of issues to overcome, but I see some things between you that, if left to fester, could do more damage. I hope you wont mind me discussing them with you today...?"**

He posed the last sentence as a question, looking between Bella and his son to try and judge their response to his words. Bella's brown eyes met his for a second and she nodded her consent, but Carlisle could sense Edward searching for hidden meaning behind his words, and could see his frustration at not knowing what was to come. After a long pause spent glaring at his father, Edward's impatience won over his hesitance.

**"Go on.."**

Carlisle nodded and began anew,

**" Twice in the last month I have been given cause to step and in and modify your behaviour Edward" he said, raising a hand to silence his son as he opened his mouth in protest. " Both of these occasions have had some, if not all, of their origin in your response to Bella's actions, most recently, out of jealousy or lack of trust when she chooses to see Jacob"**

**"It's not jealousy"** Edward interjected sharply, earning himself withering looks from both his father and his girlfriend. He huffed.** " It's not...it's about Bella's safety.I can't protect you if you're with him!"** He had turned sideways to face Bella, his eyes imploring. Bella looked back at him, a frown settling over her brows.

**"On the reservation you mean? So you would be OK if I Jake visited me at home?"**

Carlisle had to stop himself smiling at Bella's clever question, and he watched Edward purse his lips before replying.

**"No Bella...because HE is dangerous. You shouldn't be friends with him."**

**"You told me the same about you Edward"** Bella reminded him** "and look how that.."**

Edward cut her off **" Yes, look how that turned out! You've had two attempts on your life, are now known to the most dangerous vampires in the world...I can barely protect you from my own kind Bella..you don't need to throw Werewolves into the mix as well.."** He slumped back into his chair, misery written all over his face and Carlisle felt the need to interject

**" Edward is right to be wary of the wolves Bella, it's in his nature, and they can be very volatile. But, from the sounds of it, you have spent a lot of time with Jacob Black and he has never given you reason to be afraid, is that so?"** Bella nodded so Carlisle continued.  
**" That being the case Edward, you must trust Bella's judgment. You don't know Jacob well enough to make a call"**

Edward was shaking his head **"...I know him well enough to know it's not Bella's 'friendship' he's interested in..."** he muttered, scowling at the floor. Carlisle was about to rebuke him when Bella got their first, her voice sharp as she jabbed an accusing finger at her vampire boyfriend.

**"That right there...this is NOT about you wanting to protect me...its about you wanting to stop me seeing Jacob because you're jealous!**" She spun to look at Edward, almost forgetting Carlisle's presence** " It's not fair for you to spout off about my safety and treat me like a child when you're the one acting liking one. Jacob has been nothing.."**

Once again, she was interrupted, as this time Edward got to his feet, pacing across the room and turning his back upon his audience.** "Nothing but good to you. Nothing but you're best friend, nothing but the one person who got you through the last few months. EVERYTHING that I haven't been Bella. Of course he must seem like a better choice for you to make, but you can't expect me to stand back and let him steal you away from me...I've waited so long for you...I can't..."** he trailed off, bowing his head and hunching his shoulders, fighting for control over his emotions.

Bella looked aghast at Carlisle who was looking sympathetically at his son. Still so much insecurity. Edward's reliance on his ability to know people's thoughts crippled him when it came to Bella. She was constantly affirming her love for him, but because he wasn't used to having to read situations and actions to know what people were thinking he missed the little indicators, and the big ones, well he was usually so wrapped up in castigating himself for whatever had led to the situation, such as Volterra, that he was oblivious to how Bella was demonstrating her love for him by even being there. With a sigh, Carlisle stood silently and slipped deftly from the room. Technically, Edward was still supposed to be under supervision whilst with Bella, but he was not a cruel man, and he could sense the couple's need for privacy. If Edward was willing to be a little vulnerable in front of Bella then maybe they could make some headway.

Bella sat for a moment, stunned by this little peek into Edward's inner psyche, surprised that he would actually think of Jacob as a threat to him. She got to her feet and hesitantly crossed the room until she was standing directly behind her vampire.

**" I'm not going anywhere.."** she whispered to his back** " I'm going to become one of you Edward, so I never have to leave you. I don't know how else I can show you that I love you..."** Bella's voice became choked at the end, and she placed a small hand on the taught muscles of Edward's back, reaching out to him. He responded to her non verbal request and turned, his face tight and his eyes glazed with a sheen of venom, taking her in his arms and pressing his face into her shoulder, inhaling her unique scent.

**"I'm sorry Bella"** came his muffled words **" I feel like I'm screwing this up..I'm sorry"**

Bella responded by snaking her own arms around his waist and pushing herself further into his embrace. Their physical intimacy, minimal as it was, had been severely compromised by the constant supervision, and she reveled in the cold hard planes of Edward's body that she had missed so much. Her boy was hurting, she could see that, and she wanted to take it away . He was usually looking after her and she hesitated, unsure what to do, eventually just giving in to her own desires in the hope it would be some kind of salve to him also. She pulled back enough to be able to press her lips to his, a gentle kiss, and looked into his eyes, turning his face to hers when he looked away

**" I'm sorry too...for letting you feel like that. You have to know that you're it for me...I can't exist without you. I survived, yes, and Jake helped with that. But it wasn't living Edward. I'm only alive when I'm with you."**

He kissed her back then, saying what he couldn't, an apology and a declaration, exclaimed through cool breath and ice kisses,all the while his hands tracing her curves as hers fisted in his hair. When he probed her lips with his tongue, requesting entry, Bella conceded, surprised that he was allowing things to get this far. He didn't stop there, moving them backwards until Bella's back was pressed against the wall, careful not to crush her with his weight. It was most unlike him, but Bella wasn't objecting. Instead she responded with feverish movements of her own, realising how much she had missed this.

Edward was aware of Bella's hot hands slipping under his shirt, of her heart racing and her breath coming faster. All these little signs that she wanted him, that she loved him. He basked in her warmth, his tongue sliding languidly against hers. He pulled away, only to kiss slowly downwards, pausing where neck met shoulder to suck a little, blood pooling under the skin to leave a purpling mark. It was caveman behaviour he knew, but it gave him smug satisfaction to know that Jacob would have a visible reminded of his presence when he next saw Bella. She tugged him closer again, about to press her own mouth against his when the door to the study abruptly opened. Both parties pulled apart guiltily, Edward wondering how on earth he had missed the approach of his father and coven leader, who was now standing with his arms crossed, looking singularly unimpressed.


	12. Chapter 12

The blush that stole over Bella's face was almost worrying in its intensity. Wide eyed, she gazed up at Edward before darting her eyes to Carlisle and pulling self-consciously at her clothes. Carlisle looked to the heavens, asking God for patience when dealing with teenagers, and made his way to his seat behind his desk. Bella scuttled back to her seat, embarrassment diminished somewhat by the dizzy euphoria at having pushed past some of her boyfriend's rigid boundaries. The same boyfriend who was now discreetly trying to adjust himself, whilst studiously avoiding his father's eyes. Beyond awkward.

In hindsight, Edward figured it perhaps wasn't the best time, or place, to get hot and heavy with Bella, but he couldn't quite bring himself to regret it, even as he returned to perch on the chair adjacent to hers. Every second that he got to hold her now felt like a gift, and with everything else so complicated, it was refreshing to know that at least some parts of their unconventional relationship were governed by normal teenage urges. He dared a look up to his father, who was sat back in his chair, legs folded and hands clasped in his lap, an appraising expression residing on his face.

"**Well…I'm glad you two have kissed and made up"** Carlisle said dryly. He wasn't a prude, and given that the rest of his children cohabited with their other halves, it would be grossly unfair of him to expect Edward to remain chaste where Bella was concerned. The fact that his straight laced son had placed restrictions upon himself where intimacy was concerned had not escaped him, and he wondered what had changed. Giving Edward a searching look, he leant forward a little and rested his forearms on his desk before addressing the couple further.

"**Touching again on the Jacob issue"** he began, lifting a finger when he saw his son about to interject, and looking to Bella this time **"I hope, Bella, that you can be a little considerate of Edward's insecurities, unfounded as they may be, and realise that it goes against everything in his nature to stand back and allow you, his mate, to have a close friendship with a creature he considers a mortal enemy."**

He watched as his words sunk in, and the human girl gave a slight nod of understanding. She had been, perhaps, a little thoughtless when it came to balancing her immortal relationships. He supressed a chuckle at the fact that she even had such an issue to contend with. Only Bella.

"**And Edward…."** Of course, his son was not without fault. Over protective and hot-headed were words that sprung to mind, and with the tendency to act without thinking. Carlisle's tone was firmer now **"We have had numerous discussions about your behaviour recently. You know as well as I that overriding Bella's decisions and using your unique advantages to control her is not something that will allow your relationship to flourish. You have to learn to govern your own emotions, deal with them rather than trying to eliminate whatever the source is."**

Edward was tense, but he gave a small inclination of his head. He knew what Carlisle was saying made sense. He could see it in the day's events; Bella was losing patience with him. Very rarely did the kitten get out her claws, but she had really been angry with him, probably still was. He hung his head and sighed heavily. In retrospect it was easy to see where he had perhaps overreacted, but at the time, in the moment, his emotions had been so conflicting that he had to act, just to get some respite from the feelings of panic, hurt and fear that overwhelmed him. Much as it pained him to admit it, it was a classic example of the message that Carlisle had been trying to convey him since his return. He was making rash decisions that did not have good results. God, how he hated being a perpetual teenager. He looked to his left where Bella met his eyes, chewing nervously on that lip as she waited to hear his reaction to Carlisle's words. Taking her hand in his, he shot a quick look at his creator before focusing on Bella.

"**I owe you an apology"** he began, his eyes locked upon their hands, where his thumb drew small circles on her skin. **"….what I did to your truck, that was childish and unforgiveable, and I'm sorry"**

He shook his head and paused, trying to phrase the next part of his speech carefully.

"**Carlisle is right in that I find it...difficult to understand your friendship with the…with Jacob Black. But I will do my best, Bella, to give you trust that you deserve, and the freedom to do as you see fit "**

He raised his tawny eyes up to meet her brown ones and was relieved to find understanding and forgiveness there within. How many more times would she forgive him his trespasses? He was truly blessed to have her back in his life. Bella smiled shyly at him, her breathing speeding up along with heart rate. He hadn't realised he was dazzling her again

An unnecessary and obvious throat clearing from Carlisle snapped them both out of their moment, and refocused their attention on the blond vampire who gave them a small smile.

"**I hope you can both take something positive forward from today. Bella, I don't wish to be rude, but I do still have some things to address with Edward, and I think, given the circumstances, that it would be better if you **_**weren't**_** here whilst I do so"** he quirked a brow at Edward as he spoke, who felt his stomach sink to his boots.

Looking for a moment like she was about to protest, Bella glanced at Edward who shook his head minutely. If Carlisle was intending to do what he thought he was going to do, then Bella definitely needed to leave. A knock on the door signalled the timely arrival of a certain pixie like sibling.

"**I can give you a ride home Bella"** Alice chimed, whizzing into the room and reclaiming the engine part from Carlisle's desk. She held it up **quizzically "And, luckily for you as I have no idea what this is, Rose has said she'll come and put it back in your truck for you!"**

Edward stood and embraced Bella, who was looking at him with concern. **"….will you be okay?"** she asked, before Alice could begin shepherding her out of the door** "I mean...is he..?"**

Edward swallowed. This was beyond embarrassing. **"Bella…hush. I'll be fine. I'll call you later**?" He phrased the last part as a question, as he didn't have his cell, and was relieved when Carlisle nodded his assent. He wasn't certain on what his father was planning on, but it would have seemed mightily unjust to be denied his only line of communication with Bella. Alice's thoughts invaded his mind for a second.

_As far as I can see it's not that bad Edward_ she thought. _Try and keep calm and you should walk out alive. Ha-ha._

She chuckled at the feeble joke, and then whisked Bella out of Carlisle's study and down the stairs where Edward could hear them depart in Rosalie's BMW. As the sound of the car's engine and Bella's heartbeat grew fainter, Edward sank back into his seat, a look so miserable on his face that Carlisle had to suppress a chuckle. He shook his head at his youngest child's flair for the dramatic, before straightening up and growing more serious.

"**Well then my boy, I believe we have some further things to discuss?"**


	13. Chapter 13

Edward was pretty sure the question was rhetorical. He would be perfectly happy not to discuss anything further, to be quite honest, and so he remained resolutely silent, watching the progress of dust spackles as they danced in front of the window. The quiet went on, and the younger vampire grew uneasy and dragged his gaze back to his creator, realising as Carlisle looked on impassively, that he was expected to begin this conversation.

"**I'm sorry I broke my restrictions"** he offered as an opening gambit, his expression guarded. Carlisle seemed to have calmed down a little during the impromptu couple's counselling session, but Edward knew that appearances could be deceiving. He tried to get a read on his father's thoughts, but years of practice had left the Cullen patriarch adept at throwing up blocks to his younger son's rather intrusive talent, and Edward was left flying blind.

Carlisle nodded, looking at his son thoughtfully and making the teen squirm uncomfortably for a few infinitely long seconds before he began to speak.

"**I'm proud of what happened in here today Edward"** he said. **"I know it's hard for you to be vulnerable in front of Bella, and you did that, and your apology to her was respectful and honest. You also managed to calm yourself when she entered the room. You redeemed yourself quite nicely."**

Edward looked up at the unexpected compliment and felt a sudden surge of love for his father. True, their relationship had been strained the past few weeks, but only Carlisle would find a way to pay homage to him after the events of the day. An unexpected lump formed in his throat, and he suddenly found the surface of Carlisle's desk intensely fascinating.

"**Having said that, storming out of school and then essentially vandalising Bella's property is not something I can overlook son."** Carlisle continued.

Edward's warm and fuzzies were rapidly dissipating, and he chewed on the inside of his cheek as he waited for his father to get into the real meat of the conversation. It would have been perhaps a little too hopeful to expect Carlisle to forgive and forget. He wondered what fate awaited him now, and didn't have to wait long to find out.

" **I had been intending to relax some of your punishments as you had been conducting yourself quite well, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do now. It seems like we might be making some progress and I don't want to lose that momentum by restoring all of you privileges"**

Carlisle raised his brows at Edward, who felt obliged to nod, feeling idiotic as he did so. Of course, his life should go on being a misery, why would he want anything different? As fast as it appeared, he was quick to stamp out that bit of temper because although not looking like a free pass, he had a feeling that if he played his cards right, he might walk away relatively unscathed. Tread carefully young padawan, he thought, maintaining a suitably abashed expression. His father narrowed his eyes, and Edward thought maybe he'd gone too far with the innocent look.

"**So I suppose the long and short of it is this. Don't be expecting to see the outside of this house for some time, with the exception of school of course. You have a week's worth of detentions by the way, for walking out. I'll return your cell phone to you, but I'm keeping the car keys."**

Edward looked up hopefully **"You're**_** keeping**_** both sets of keys?"**

His father gave a sharp nod. **"Yes Edward, you have won a reprieve as far as the Vanquish goes. Know this though, one more iota of trouble out of you and I will send it to the scrap yard myself, do you understand?"**

"**I do sir, thank you" **Edward could barely keep the relief out of his voice. His beloved baby was staying! He might not to be able to drive her for a while, but he could still appreciate her beauty, and rest safe in the knowledge that _someday_, she would be his again. His reverie was interrupted when he heard the front door slamming and the rest of the family departing, and his heart sank as he looked up at Carlisle, who confirmed his fears.

"**I don't believe the next part of your punishment will come as a shock to you son."**

And so with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner walking the steps to the gallows, Edward got to his feet and shuffled to his father's desk. It was becoming a habit it seemed, to be spanked like a child. Never the less, he let Carlisle's hand guide him forwards until he was leaning on the desk, his rear vulnerable to his father's strong hand, who wasted no time in making his presence felt.

Edward rolled onto his toes with each slap, grateful for the protection offered by the seat of his jeans, as he could still feel the bite of each blow keenly. Carlisle was matter of fact about this punishment, and even as he began lecturing, did not break pace.

"**You know why you are receiving this spanking Edward."** He began, peppering his son's posterior with ringing blows. **"Once again, you let your emotions rule you, flouted your curfew and school rules, and then imposed your will upon Bella by vandalising her property. I don't need to tell you why this was wrong do I?"**

"**No sir"** Edward ground out from his awkward position on the desk top. He could feel the burn thoroughly ignited now, and wondered at his father's strength and stamina to keep up the relentless pace.

"**There will be no more reminders. You know the behaviour expected of you, and if you fall short again you will not get off so lightly"**

Edward felt his father loosening his belt and grit his teeth as his creator proceeded to mete out a further volley to his pant clad rear. The pain was much sharper, and he gave up trying to remain silent, a small sob escaping as Carlisle administered to the vulnerable curve where buttock meets thigh. Lord, why did he have to know all the spots that hurt the most? And then, sooner than he expected, he found himself righted and looking into the compassionate face of his disciplinarian.

Carlisle took his handkerchief, an unused prop Alice insisted upon, and wiped away the venom tears that had leaked from Edward's eyes, before pulling his teenage son into a quick embrace.

"…**sorry Dad..."** Edward mumbled from where his face was hidden in his father's shoulder, and he meant it. Even with an inferno raging on his backside, he knew Carlisle had gone lightly on him. That small mercy, combined with the hesitant improvements between Bella and himself, led Edward to give thanks, and he suddenly returned Carlisle's hug, gripping onto his father tightly. He needed this comfort now, and it was freely given. Eventually, as his sniffles subsided, Edward drew back.

"**I truly am sorry"** he repeated, **"I'll do better"**

Carlisle nodded and sent his fiery headed son off with a gentle pat and his cell phone, which Edward took gleefully, already dialling Bella as he opened the door. His father waited until he heard him begin to speak before sitting down and running a hand through his hair, Edward's heartfelt assurance to curb his behaviours hanging in the air along with his unique earthy scent. The blonde vampire shook his head and smiled wryly, all too aware of the importance of deeds over empty promises.

_We shall Edward, we shall see_.


End file.
